‘Low birth rate, conversion, infiltration causing population imbalance’
Mumbai: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday said the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) should be framed by taking everyone into confidence and must not lead to divisions.
Asked whether “achche din” (good days) for RSS came after BJP came to power, Bhagwat said it was the “other way round”, noting the Sangh had remained committed to the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya and those who supported it benefitted.
On the long-pending demand for Bharat Ratna for Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar, Bhagwat said the award’s prestige will rise if conferred on him.
He was speaking during an interaction at a programme to mark the RSS’s centenary. Several prominent personalities were present at the event, including actors Raveena Tandon, Vicky Kaushal, Ananya Panday, filmmakers Karan Johar, Madhur Bhandarkar, Ramesh Taurani and musician Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar.
Bhagwat said the Uniform Civil Code should be formed by taking everyone into confidence.
“It shouldn’t create divisions. In Uttarakhand, three lakh suggestions were made and after talking to all stakeholders, the act was passed,” he said.
To another question, he said there is no majority or minority (community), “we are all one society”.
He stressed the need for trust, friendship and a dialogue with Muslim and Christian communities.
“Islam is called the religion of peace, but peace is not seen. If there is no spirituality in religion, it becomes dominating and aggressive. What is seen in Islam and Christianity today is not as per the teachings of Jesus Christ and Prophet Muhammad. We need the practice of true Islam and Christianity,’’ he said.
On the recent India-US trade pact, Bhagwat said he hasn’t gone into the details.
‘’It is true that we can’t remain in isolation. In deals, there is give and take. It should be win-win…We have to ensure we are not at a loss,” he maintained.
Asked whether “achche din” (good days) for the RSS came after the BJP came to power, Bhagwat said, “Achche din for us didn’t come because of the BJP… It is the other way round. We remained committed to Ram Mandir construction. Those who supported us benefitted.”
‘Achche din’ for the RSS came because of the hard work of the volunteers and commitment to ideological policies, he stressed.
RSS does advise when needed. “Their sins are blamed on us because they have come from within us,’’ he said, adding that political pressure comes from voters and not RSS.
Bhagwat identified religious conversion, infiltration, and a low birth rate as the three main factors behind population imbalance, saying scientific research suggests “we should have three children in a family,” which, however, is a matter of choice.
He condemned the use of force, inducement or deception to convert people and increase the number of a sect, noting that ‘ghar wapasi’ was the answer for those wishing to return to their original faith.
Responding to a query on infiltration, he said that RSS workers identified suspected infiltrators through language and reported them to authorities.
On population imbalance, Bhagwat said, “There were three major reasons; the first being religious conversion. While freedom of faith was guaranteed, using force, inducement or deception to convert people and increase the numbers of a sect was totally condemnable.”
“The second reason was infiltration, for which the government needed to undertake extensive work,” the RSS chief said.
He added that detection and deportation had begun slowly and would gather pace, citing the special intensive revision exercise under which some individuals were identified as non-citizens and removed from electoral rolls.
“RSS workers also identified suspected infiltrators through language and reported them to authorities,” Bhagwat said, adding that while Indian citizens, including Muslims, would be employed, foreigners would not be.
He said the third reason for population imbalance is low birth rate.
