People's Democracy

Editorial

Defeat Pernicious Hindutva Terror Designs

YET another link to the terror web cast by the RSS and its affiliates has been established with the arrest of one Kamal Chauhan by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for his alleged involvement in the terrorist bomb blast on the Samjhauta Express that claimed the life of 68 passengers of the Delhi-Lahore train around midnight of February 18, 2007. 

The arrest of this longstanding RSS activist from Madhya Pradesh is the second in this case.  Earlier, in June 2010, one Lokesh Sharma, also from Madhya Pradesh, was arrested on charges of attending a meeting in which this terrorist attack was planned.  Media reports suggest that investigative agencies are now framing fresh charges  on his alleged participation in the actual bombing itself. 

Crucial leads indicating the involvement of RSS and its affiliates in the Samjhauta bombing came after investigations that established that these outfits were linked with the terrorist attacks at Malegaon (September 8, 2008), Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad (May 18, 2007) and at the Dargah in Ajmer Sharif (October 11, 2007).  These have established the RSS links in creating this web of Hindutva terror. 

The CPI(M) had, in fact, drawn the attention of the central government, much earlier, at a meeting of the National Integration Council on October 13, 2008. “Police investigations in the past few years have noted the involvement of Bajrang Dal or other RSS tentacles in various bomb blasts across the country – in  2003, in Parbani, Jalna and in Jalgaon district of Maharashtra; in 2005, in Mau district of Uttar Pradesh; in 2006, in Nanded; in January 2008, at the RSS office in Tenkasi, Tirunelveli; in August 2008, in Kanpur etc etc.   Internal security of our country can be strengthened only when all such cases are also probed impartially and with the same degree of intensity”. 

Following this and the subsequent leads, the union home ministry’s report card for July 2010 announced that the NIA will probe the terrorist attacks on the Samjhauta Express. It is these investigations that have led to the current arrest. Investigations also revealed, according to media reports, that a core group of RSS leaders were involved in the manufacture of explosives and planned a series of Hindutva terrorist attacks that began in 2002. 

The disillusionment that set in amongst sections of the RSS following the then reigning Vajpayee led central government’s alleged dilution of the core Hindutva agenda  (by putting on the back burner issues like temple construction in Ayodhya, to appease NDA allies for the government’s survival) and the apparent refusal to replicate nationwide the 2002  communal genocide in Gujarat are believed to be the reason for the rise of militant Hindutva terror. 

Surely, the RSS, as is its wont, will once again proclaim that such terrorist acts may be the result of actions by a few `deviant elements’ but will insist that the organisation as a whole  is not to be blamed.  Such claims are nothing original.  This is precisely what was said  about Nathuram Godse following the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. Godse’s brother, however, is on record, in a media interview, to say that all brothers in the family were active members of the RSS. 

However, the history of the RSS and its methodology of functioning belies such theories of a differentiation between the `core’ and the `fringe’.  The issue of imparting militant training to the Hindus and using violence as a political weapon by the RSS has a long history.  It was Savarkar (who advanced the two nation theory – Islamic and Hindu – full two years before Jinnah did) who gave the slogan “Hinduise all politics and militarise Hindudom”.  Inspired by this, Dr B S Moonje, mentor of RSS founder Dr Hegdewar, travelled to Italy to meet the fascist dictator, Mussolini.  The meeting took place on March 19, 1931.  His personal diary notes of March 20 reveal his fascination and admiration of the manner in which Italian fascism was training its youth (read storm-troopers) militarily.  Upon return to India, Dr Moonje established the Central Hindu Military Education Society at Nasik in 1935, the precursor to the Bhonsala Military School  (now charged with importing training to Hindutva terror) established in 1937.  Golwalkar, in 1939, exults Hitler’s purging of the Jews under Nazi fascism and says that it is “a good lesson for us in Hindustan to learn and profit by”. Subsequently, following the demolition of the Babri Masjid, the RSS tentacles, VHP and Bajrang Dal, had publicly prided themselves at the training  imparted to `kar sevaks’. 

The RSS often questions the term `Hindu terrorism’ asking, “How can you club an entire community with the concept of terrorism?”  Its former chief once went further to state, “Coining such terms is the conspiracy to defame the Sangh. It is a political conspiracy to defeat and defame Hindutva forces.”  Very cleverly, the terms `Hindutva’ and `Hindu’ are used synonymously.  What we are speaking about is Hindutva terror, not Hindu terror.  Clearly, no religious community, as a whole, can be held responsible for the terrorist activities of individuals embracing that religion.  Same yardstick, however, should apply to other religions as well.  However, not, according to the RSS.   The RSS routinely adopts resolutions seeking to, “curb Islamic terrorism with an iron hand”.  This is not merely an expression of double standards.  It reflects the ideological roots of converting the modern secular democratic republic of India into the RSS version of a `Hindu Rashtra’ based on rabid religious intolerance. 

In these columns, we continue to maintain that terrorism has no religion.  It is simply anti-national and, hence, the country should display zero tolerance.  Further, terrorism of all varieties only feed and strengthen each other, seeking to destroy the very unity and integrity of our country. 

To safeguard and strengthen modern India’s secular democratic foundations, it is imperative that such pernicious terroristic methods for realising this  RSS political objective needs to be decisively defeated. 

(February 14, 2012)