The RSS’s hundred-year-long effort to spread hatred against minority communities is bearing fruit today!
A video has come to light of a crowd of so-called Hindutvaites barging into a Christmas celebration in Lucknow and shouting Jai Shri Ram in an aggressive manner. Similarly, on the same day, on 25 December, in a program being organized to celebrate the birthday of former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Patna, a singer (who was called by the organizers to sing for that program!) after other songs sang Raghupati Raghav Rajaram Sabko Sanmati De Bhagwan, Ishwar Allah Tero Naam. While singing this bhajan, some people from the audience objected to the word Allah and the singer had to apologize. And in the presence of senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad, another leader Ashwini Choubey intervened in the program by shouting Jai Shri Ram from the stage. Has the Sangh been continuously spreading hatred against minority communities for the past hundred years? Is this not the result of that?
A hundred years ago, Hitler in Germany and Benito Mussolini in Italy started spreading similar hatred against the Jews. They killed more than 6 million Jews. The remaining Jews were forced to work as forced laborers in the field of producing war literature in their madness to become world conquerors. This fact has been published in the issue of Italian intellectual Marzia Casolari (EXCERPTS from the article “Hindutvas’s foreign tie-up in the 1930s: Archival evidence written by Marzia Casolari in Economic & Political Weekly, January 2000:) which I am trying to quote in full below.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was established exactly in the footsteps of Hitler and Mussolini. Its founder Dr. K. S. Hedgewar’s Guru Dr. B. S. Munje, while returning from London after the second Round Table Conference in February-March 1931, during his stay in Europe, visited Italy (15-24 March 1931) and visited the Military College of Italy, Central Military School of Physical Education and Fascist Academy of Physical Education and most importantly, Mussolini had established two organizations for children and youth of Italy. Dr. Munje studied them very carefully. Because he has spent two pages on these organizations in his diary. Because he and Hedgewar had established an organization for children (6-18 years of age) in Nagpur in the name of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on the day of Dussehra in 1925. And after seeing the training and programmes of both the organisations in Italy he described in his diary the Balilla and Avanguardisti Organisations ( Balilla and Avanguardisti Organisations These two organisations, which he describes in more than two pages of his diary, were the keystone of the facist system of indoctrination – – of the youths. Their structure is strikingly similar to that of the RSS. They recruited boys from the age of six, up to 18: the youths had attended weekly meetings, where they practiced physical exercise, received paramilitary training and performed drills and parades.
According to the literature promoted by the RSS and other Hindu fundamentalist organizations and party’s, the structure of the RSS was the result of Hedgewar’s vision and work. However Moonje played a crucial role in molding the RSS along Italian (Fascist) lines. The deep impression left on Moonje by the vision of the fascist organization is confirmed by his dairy:
” The Balilla institutions and the conception of the whole organization have appealed to me most, though there is still not discipline and organization of high order. The whole idea is conceived by Mussolini for the military ragration of Italy. Italians, by nature, appear ease – loving and non-martial like the Indians generally.
They have cultivated, like Indians, the work of peace and neglected the cultivation of the art of war. Mussolini saw the essential weakness of his country and conceived the idea. of the Balilla organization— Nothing better could have been conceived for the military organization of Italy – – – The idea of fascism vividly brings out the conception of unity amongst people – – – India and particularly Hindu India need some such institutions for the military regeneration of the Hindus: so that artificial distinction so much emphasized by the British of martial and non-martial classes amongst the Hindus may disappear. Hedgewar is of this kind, though quite independently conceived.
I will spend the rest of my life in developing and extending this Institution of Dr. Hedgewar all throughout the Maharashtra and other provinces. , He continues describing drills and uniform:
I was charmed to see boys and girls well dressed in their navel and military uniforms undergoing simple exercise of physical training and forms of drill. ,
Definitely more meaningful is the report of the meeting with Mussolini. On the same day, March 19, 1931, at 3 p.m. m., in Palazzo Venezia, the headquarters of the fascist government, he met the Italian dictator. The meeting is recorded in the diary on March 20, and it is worth reproducing the complete report.
“- – –
as soon as I was announced at the door, he got up and walked up to receive me.
I shook hands with him saying that I am Dr. Moonje. He knew everything about me and appeared to be closely following the events of the Indian struggle for freedom.
He seemed to have great respect for Gandhi. He sat down in front of me on another chair in front of his table and was conversing with me for quite half an hour. He asked me about Gandhi and his movement and pointedly asked me a question ‘if the Round Table Conference will bring about peace between India and England; I said that if the British would honestly desire to give up equal status with other dominions of the Empire, we shall have no objection to remain peacefully and loyalty within the Empire; otherwise the struggle will be renewed and continued. Britain will gain and be able to maintain her premier position amongst the European Nations (sic) if India is friendly and peaceful towards her and India cannot be so unless she is given Dominion status on equal terms with other Dominions. Signor Mussolini appeared impressed by this remark of mine. Then he asked me if I have visited the University. I said I am interested in military training of boys and have been visiting the military schools of England, France, and Germany. I have now come to Italy for the same purpose and I am very grateful to say that the Foreign Office and the war office have made good arrangements for my visiting these schools. I just saw this morning and afternoon the Balilla and Fascist Organizations and I was much impressed. Italy needs them for her development and prosperity. I do not see anything objectionable, though I have been frequently reading in the newspapers not very friendly criticisms about them and about your Excellency also.
Singer Mussolini: What is your opinion about them?
Dr. Moonje: Your Excellency, I am much impressed. Every aspiring and growing nation needs such organizations. India needs them most for her military regeneration.
During the British domination of the last 150 years Indians have been waved away from the military profession but India now desires to prepare itself for her own defense and I am working for it. I have already started an organization of my own. (RSS) conceived independently with similar objectives. I shall have no hesitation to raise my voice from the public platform both India and England when occasion may arise in praise of your Balilla and Fascist organization. I wish them good luck and every success.
Singer Mussolini – – – who appeared very pleased – – said: Thanks but yours is an uphill task. However I wish you every success in return.
Saying this he got up and I also got up to take his leave.
The description of the Italian journey includes information regarding Fascism. Its history, the fascist “revolution,” ect., and continues for two more pages. One can wonder at the association between B.S. Moonje and RSS, but if we think that Moonje had been Hedgewar’s mentor, the association will be much clearer. The intimate friendship between Moonje and Hedgewar and the farmer’s declared intention to organize prove a strict connection between Moonje and the RSS. Furthermore, it makes sense to think that the entire circle of militant Hinduism must have been influenced by Moonje’s Italian experience.
After Dr. Munje returned from Italy, he established Bhosla Military Schools in Nagpur and Nasik, exactly on the lines of Italy. From where, it has come to light in the investigation of Maharashtra ATS chief Mr. Hemant Karkare that terrorists were trained to carry out Nanded, Malegaon and other blasts. Which is included in the court chargesheet in the Malegaon blast case.
The most serious thing is that during the daily training and in various camps of the Sangh, false information is given to create hatred against the minority communities. Due to which most of the volunteers who go there keep spreading this information in their own way, 17 hours a day for 12 months. That is why I have started calling this organization (Rumars Spreading Society- RSS) which has now become a part of a section of the society. And it is visible sometimes in the Gujarat riots, burning of Father Staines and his two innocent children of Kandhamal, and from the destruction of churches, mosques and shrines of Sufi saints to the destruction of the houses of the people of the minority community with bulldozers or destroying them by setting them on fire during riots.
In the seventies, an inquiry commission was appointed under the chairmanship of Justice Madan to investigate the riots of Jalgaon and Bhiwandi in Maharashtra, in which he wrote that “Whether the RSS was directly involved in the riots or not is a different matter. But since 1925, the RSS has been spreading hatred against minority communities in its propaganda. Because of that, the mob expresses its reaction in riots by taking violent action. And this is being found in all the riots after independence!”
Lucknow and Patna are just a glimpse! Let’s see what happens next?
