On 14th March 2023, Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh’s General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale addressed a press conference in Samalkha near Panipat, Haryana after the three-day meeting of the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha – the most important body of the RSS – concluded. In this press conference, while answering a question regarding Hindu Rashtra (Hindu Nation) Dattatreya Hosabale said that India is already a Hindu nation. He also asserted that ‘state’ and ‘nation’ are two different things.
RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale was asked by a journalist that as there is a debate about ‘Hindu Rashtra’ all over the country, so what is the view of RSS on it? Questions about population control and Rahul Gandhi’s recent anti-India remarks in London were also asked in this press conference. Dattatreya Hosabale answered these questions.
India is Hindu Rashtra
About the Hindu Rashtra issue, Dattatreya Hosabale said, “The RSS has said long before about the Hindu Rashtra issue, that India is a Hindu nation. This is a cultural concept. This is not a theocratic concept. We are saying for the last 100 years that this is a Hindu nation. We don’t need to make it a Hindu nation. It is one.”
Dattatreya Hosabale further asserted, “‘State’ and ‘Nation’ are two different things. ‘State’ is established by the constitution. ‘State’ is a certain power. ‘Nation’ is a cultural concept. Therefore, India’s ‘Nation’ is a Hindu Nation. This means that the cultural concepts of this land whether you call it Hindu, Indic or Sanatan – there are a hundred names – but it is a Hindu Rashtra. The ‘State’ is not theocratic.”
#WATCH | “…Sangh has spoken about ‘Hindu Rashtra’ that it is a cultural concept. We’ve been saying that this is the meaning of ‘Hindu Rashtra’ & India is a ‘Hindu Rashtra’. State & Nation are different…So, India – the nation – is a Hindu nation…,” says RSS Gen Secy… https://t.co/BJVBa8Iaij pic.twitter.com/RnjnvY1AJ7
— ANI (@ANI) March 15, 2023
It is notable that on 11th March 2023, Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan, national president of Ittehad-e-Millat Council, claimed that if the rhetoric of those who desire ‘Hindu Rahstra’ is acceptable, then so is the call for Khalistan or a separate Muslim country. “What if our Muslim youth start to demand a separate Muslim state tomorrow,” he asked. An FIR was also lodged in Moradabad regarding his statements.
Demographic imbalance is dangerous for a country’s development
On the issue of population control, Dattatreya Hosabale remarked that the RSS has been talking about demographic imbalance rather than population control. He said, “We have not remarked about population control but we have said a lot about the demographic imbalance. We passed resolutions about it even in the past meetings. We stand by that. Many issues arise due to demographic imbalance. Supreme Court has also said this. When TN Sheshan was the election commissioner, he also remarked on it. Mahatma Gandhi also talked about it. Hundreds of such people in India who are not from RSS have said about the issue of a demographic imbalance.”
Dattatreya Hosabale added, “Experts on demographic studies and economists have also put their opinions on this issue. And people should see all these things. Sangh is not raising some new issues about demographic imbalance. This has been said by many people. Former governor Rajeshwar Ji also talked about this. Demographic imbalance is dangerous for the country’s development. There is a lot more to say on this.”
Rahul Gandhi should express responsibly
When asked about Rahul Gandhi’s recent anti-India remarks in London, Dattatreya Hosabale said, “He acts as per his political agenda. We are not in any kind of political competition with him. All I have to say is that his predecessors from Congress have also said many things about RSS in the past. People in the country and around the world are looking at Sangh as per their experience with Sangh and they are learning from it. All of them know the reality. Maybe he also knows it. All I want to tell is that being a prime leader of a major political party, he should express responsibly and see the reality.”
On 2nd March 2023, Rahul Gandhi launched one of his usual attacks on the Modi government and said that it was undermining the democracy of India. While delivering a presentation at Cambridge University, Rahul Gandhi said that the Israeli spyware Pegasus was being used to monitor his phone.
Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha
The Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS) is the highest decision-making body of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The ABPS is composed of more than 1400 representatives from various state units of the RSS, and it meets annually to discuss and decide the organization’s policies, programs, and strategies. The ABPS is responsible for electing the RSS’s highest executive body, the Sarkaryavah (General Secretary), as well as other key office bearers. The ABPS also reviews the organization’s activities and provides guidance to its various affiliated organizations. Its annual meeting was organized in Haryana from 12th March to 14th March 2023. BJP President J P Nadda and General Secretary (Organization) B L Santhosh also participated in the meeting.
