Addressing a gathering of 2,500 delegates at the World Hindu Congress, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat has asked Hindus to come together and organise themselves, saying “if a lion is alone, wild dogs can invade and destroy him”.
Speaking at Chicago, Mohan Bhagawat asserted that Hindus have suffered for thousands of years and they “never come together”. Bhagwat also said that the Hindu community has no aspiration to be dominant and the community will prosper only when it works together as a society.
“Coming together of Hindus itself is a difficult thing. In the initial days of our work, when our karyakartas used to go and talk to Hindu eminences about organising the Hindus. They used to say sher kabhi jhund mein nahi chalta (a lion never travels in a pack). But even that lion, that Royal Bengal tiger, king of his own jungle, if he is alone, wild dogs together can invade and destroy him,” he said.
Mohan Bhagwat also spoke how Hindu community has given the most meritorious persons to the society in every aspect of life and said that they never come, stay or work together. The World Hindu Congress, with the theme of ‘Think Collectively, Act Valiantly’ was organised drawing inspiration from the Hindu epic ‘Mahabharat’.
Bhagwat emphasised the implicit tolerance of the Hindu Dharma and said that in Hindu dharma, even a pest is not killed, but controlled. “Hindus don’t live to oppose anybody. We even allow the pests to live. There are people who may oppose us. You have to tackle them without harming them”, Bhagwat said.
“Hinduness does not mean any mode of worship or subscribing to any God. Think about the absolute truth.” Mohan Bhagwat said a sense of idealism is good and described himself as ‘pro-future’ rejecting the opponents claim of being ‘anti-modern’. He said that Hindu society is both ancient and postmodern. According to Bhagawat, Hindu Society is ahead of twenty years in its thoughts and ideas. Further, he said that Hindus have been suffering for thousands of years because they forgot to practice its basic principles and spiritualism.
The RSS Chief in his speech spoke about the need for coming together to strengthen the Hindu society. He added that Hindus should learn to work together and take an initiative to enlist all good meaning people and unite the people which he believes is “need of the hour, need of the time, the duty of Hindu society and the Hinduness of every one of us”.
Bhagwat said that there will be so many Hindu organisation and many individuals taking along everyone with us and said it is important to adjust our opinions.
His comments, however, drew severe criticism from the Opposition. Attacking Bhagwat for his comments, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi said the RSS was demeaning others by calling others dogs and assuming themselves as tigers. Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh leader Prakash Ambedkar, too, was upset at Bhagwat referring to ‘Opposition as dogs’.
