Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Tuesday said that the Sangh will disown a volunteer if he is found guilty of violence. He was addressing a press conference with reporters of foreign media in New Delhi, the Sangh’s first major outreach to the global media. Bhagwat said that the RSS condemns violence in all forms and asked the volunteers to try to stop such incidents.
“If a swayamsevak is found guilty, we will disown him and law should follow its own course,” he said.
The interaction lasted for around two-and-a-half hours. It started with brief introduction given by Bhagwat, followed by a question-and-answer session covering a wide range of issues across the spectrum. Around 80 journalists representing more than 50 organisations and hailing from 30 countries attended the interaction.
Mohan Bhagwat’s interaction with the foreign press comes as part of the Sangh’s continuous process where he engages in dialogue with people from different walks of society, the RSS said in a statement.
His remark comes in the backdrop of rising incidents of mob violence in the country. In many cases, the victims belong to the minority community or marginalised sections of society and are killed for allegedly smuggling or slaughtering cows. Slaughtering cow is banned in many states.
The killings have often invited bad light for the ruling BJP with the opposition parties blaming its ideology and groups linked to it including the RSS and VHP. The BJP has, however, denied the involvement of its outfits in incidents. PM Narendra Modi himself has spoken on various occasion on the issue and asked the states to take strict actions against the perpetrators.
On Jammu and Kashmir, Bhagwat said that the fear of losing land and jobs among people of the state after scrapping of Article 370 should be allayed. He said that the decision to end the state’s special status will help integrate Kashmiris with the rest of the country.
On the issue of National Register of Citizens in Assam, the RSS chief said the exercise was important to identify the real citizens and that it was not for expelling someone from the country. “There is no place for Hindus in the world except he said.
