No fundamental change in RSS ideology since MS Golwalkar

It is easy, successful the simplest consciousness of things, to conflate and confuse the RSS with blimpish governmental movements, peculiarly successful the West. It is easier still, successful the existent infinitesimal of its governmental dominance, to ideate that the powerfulness its electoral helping enjoys is simply a relation of a cardinal improvement successful the Hindutva ideology. Both assumptions, however, belie a world that is simultaneously much elemental and complex. Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat’s yearly Vijayadashami code made it wide that the much-touted “outreach” by the Sangh is not a displacement successful ideology oregon strategy. Rather, it is successful work of the thought of the Indian federation (a acold outcry from the law conception of the Indian state) arsenic a territorial, spiritual entity.

Even a cursory speechmaking of Bunch of Thoughts by the 2nd Sarsanghchalak — and arguably the astir important “thought leader” of the RSS — M S Golwalkar volition person the scholar spot a signifier that is each excessively familiar. There are invocations of “One Nation, One… (fill successful the blank)”. The moving taxable is 1 of Hindu victimhood and persecution. And, possibly astir significantly, the thought of a glorious past and ascendant aboriginal is scuppered lone by enemies. These enemies, successful “Guruji” Golwalkar’s worldview, are Western wide ideas and people, minorities (specifically Christians and Muslims) and Communists.

Are Bhagwat’s views much evolved than Golwalkar’s? There are changes, though minimal, successful terminology, but the import is the same. There is the unnamed but easy identified spectre of the overseas manus — “countries that assertion to beryllium democratic” but volition “only fto Bharat turn up to a definite limit”. The situation successful Bangladesh is framed mostly arsenic an battle by overseas powers, the governmental situation arsenic an onslaught connected Hindus. This conception of “Hindus successful danger” is simply a question of politics, not religion. Why not, for example, are Awami League supporters successful danger? Or adjacent anti-BNP forces besieged successful Bangladesh? When governmental ideology is clouded by the hammer of religion and insecurity, each contented is the nail of persecution.

The existent value of Bhagwat’s code (like Golwalkar’s ideology) — and its revanchism — lies not successful geopolitics but successful manufactured insecurity astir ideas which are acold from politically ascendant successful mainstream politics. The interior menace for Golwalkar, Communists of the aged variety, person been replaced by “wokeism” and “cultural Marxists” today. “A implicit demolition of values considered virtuous,” according to Bhagwat, “is the modus operandi of this group”. Woke culture, successful presumption of some fig and governmental influence, is insignificant successful India. But possibly that is an underestimation based connected a myopic governmental view. The RSS, aft all, is simply a “cultural organisation”. Its obsession with curricula and universities — the champion illustration is the outsize value of JNU successful the nationalist speech — reflects, successful fact, a deeper knowing and a semipermanent goal.

In the words of Golwalkar, “Right from its inception, the Sangh has intelligibly marked retired arsenic its extremity the moulding of the full of society, and not simply immoderate 1 portion of it, into an organised entity.” The Sangh’s purpose is not simply governmental powerfulness but “moulding men”. This explains wherefore “wokeism” and “cultural Marxists”, fringe ideas adjacent successful Indian universities, whose purpose is “to is to bring the mind-shaping systems and institutions of the nine nether one’s influence… the acquisition strategy and acquisition institutions, media”, are mentioned by Bhagwat portion the Congress enactment is not. The second is simply a wide party, trying to fig retired what the radical want. For the RSS, past and now, the situation is ideologies that transcend the hurly-burly of electoral politics.

The top testament to the information that the RSS contiguous is simply the aged Hindutva with amended tactics lies successful its engagement with caste. For, it is successful this arena of governmental and societal beingness that the Sangh and BJP person shown the top evolution. From the solemnisation of Dalit, Adivasi and OBC icons — notably the attempts to due the bequest of Ambedkar and Birsa Munda, among others — to the mode successful which the BJP has distributed tickets, selected main ministers and Union ministers it has shown that it is consenting to see the historically marginalised.

Does the seeming “inclusion” and enlargement task an ideological shift?

Throughout his speech, Bhagwat focussed connected “harmony”. In the discourse of a caste-based agrarian system and patriarchal family, “harmony” has ever signalled the defence of a presumption quo. It is the refrain of the father-in-law, the upper-caste colony elder, the Great Leader erstwhile helium is faced with assertions of those who should “obey” him. After all, the soundless obedience of the oppressed is the utopia of the oppressor. Any genuine alteration is viewed arsenic an “erosion of values”. For Bhagwat, this bogey tin beryllium recovered successful mobile phones and OTT platforms; for Golwalkar, the menace was the “permissiveness” of Western society. For both, the inclusion of the marginalised is simply a substance of maintaining harmony, not equality.

None of this is to accidental that determination is nary quality betwixt the Sangh, past and now. In Golwalkar’s time, the organised Hindu Right was distant from authorities powerfulness and its cries of victimhood — portion inactive incredulous — were inactive a limb of the comparatively (politically, not socially) weak. Today, arsenic the BJP’s dominance continues nether the enactment of 1 of its own, the RSS’s protestations look similar adjacent much of a champagne problem.

[email protected]