The RSS has been unmasked in the third part of the ICHR's project "Towards Freedom" - the documents on the movement for Indian independence in its last phase -edited by Prof. Partha Sarathi Gupat (that came out in1997). There is a full chapter in that volume on "Communal and Separatist Movements" wherein numerous documents reveal the viciously communal propaganda the RSS was conducting in the forties while being careful not to come in conflict with the government as such so as to conserve its energy for its ultimate objective. A few examples should suffice.
The first is the summary of a report on the RSS officers' training camp held in April-May 1942 at Poona.
"M.S. Golwalkar of Nagpur, the Chief Organiser of the Sangh, addressed the volunteers on seven separate occasions. On 26th April 1942 he said ... the Hindus alone had so far proved loyal to the country; therefore they alone were eligible for enrolment to the Sangh. Whoever, forgetting his traditions, joins hands with the enemies should be killed even if he were their own brother, because only he who follows and sticks to their principles would be regarded as their real brother. The mental apathy of the Hindus should be removed and a feeling of hatred towards the men of other religions, who were getting high-handed, should be created in them. The Sangh was doing this work"
("Towards Freedom", Part 3, page 3052)
"On 3rd May 1942 he (Golwalkar - Analyst) made an important speech in which he clearly revealed the communal and Fascist nature of the organisation. He said that the Sangh had been started not only for combating Muslim aggression but for completely extirpating that disease; it was therefore necessary to have proper men at the helm whose attention should be focussed on the achievement of their goal"
("Towards Freedom", Part 3, page 3053)
A report from the Deputy Commission, Buldana district, D.O. No. 174-S, dated Buldana, the 281 November 1942, reads:
"In regard to the objects of the organisation (RS$-Analyst) the information so far received by me leads me to the conclusion that the Sangh does not want to come into conflict with Government but desires to build up and conserve its power for a two-fold purpose -
(1) To seize power, if need be by means of violence, in the event of anarchy in the country.
(2) To defeat the Muslim power in the event of a civil war or at least to give a threat to the Muslim organisation to avert the possibility of a civil war.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has, however, no plan to either fight Government or even to oppose it". ("Towards Freedom", Part 3, page 3024-25) The RSS activities today are the same as they were in the forties. If anything, they have become even more vicious in their anti-minority (primarily anti-Muslim) tirade.
It is against this backdrop that one must realise the danger the RSS poses to our secular democracy. What needs to be understood is that it is not just another "political" outfit. What it stands for is far more ominous: being avowedly communal in character and pledged to propagate and disseminate communalism, the RSS's activities run counter to the aims and objectives of our Constitution. ... (Source: The Mainstream, 11 March, 2000)
IHC Resolution on Historical Research
The Indian History Congress has always stood for the updating of syllabi to take into account the additions to knowledge brought about by historical research, and to better inculcate the scientific outlook. It had in the past appreciated NCERT's efforts in this behalf.
Recently, press reports have suggested that these improvements are in danger of being lost owing to a plan to overhaul the entire NCERT-designed curricula and to replace the present textbooks by those to be written on supposedly new "Nationalist" lines. General denunciations of the present NCERT textbooks reported in the press suggest that it is no longer the intention to promote a rational conception of India's cultural development as a composite nation, and obscurantist and divisive notions may be freely introduced.
The IHC feels that the project of changing the structure of syllabi and curricula should not be undertaken without proper scrutiny and debate by the community of historians and educationists. No hasty action should be taken to introduce changes and no matter which is alien to scientific historiography should be brought into textbooks ... (Source: The Mainstream, 12 February, 2000)
Orissa's New Anti-Conversion Order
The Orissa Freedom of Religion Act, 1967 and Orissa Freedom of Religion Rules, 1989 state that those intending to convert as well as the priest proposing to carry out the conversion must send prior intimation to the District Magistrate ...
This amendment is a tacit move to discourage anyone from converting to Christianity ... The Orissa Government has (now amended the Rules by a) Notification No.63286 dated 26.11.1999 (which reads as follow):
In Exercise of the powers conferred by Section of the Orissa Freedom of Religion Act, 1967 (Orissa Act 2 of 1968) the State Government do hereby make the following rules to amend the Orissa Freedom of Religion Rules 1989 namely :-
(3) On receiving the intimation under Sub-rule (2) the District Magistrate shall inform the concerned Superintendent of Police in detail who shall pass on the information of the concerned Police Station and the Officer-in-Charge of the Police Station shall ascertain objection, if any, to the proposed conversion by. local enquiry and intimate the same to the District Magistrate.
The copies of the Notification were sent to all the Churches across the State ...
The Notification (thus) demands that, after receiving an intimation from a convert and the priest, the District Magistrate will intimate the same to the Superintendent of Police who, in turn, will pass the information on to the Officer-in-Charge of the local police station to conduct an inquiry ...
Church leaders in Orissa have challenged in court the state's order that requires prior government permission to convert to another religion. What the state government has done goes against fundamental rights", said Archbishop Raphael Cheenath one of the petitioners against the November 26 notification.
Archbishop Cheenath stated on March 8: "The Court has accepted their petition, which will come up for hearing in a few days. (Source: The Indian Currents, 19 March, 2000)
On Muslim insecurity in India Nehru's Letter to MP C.M. Shukla, 20 March, 1954
You sent me with your letter of the 27" January a note on the activities of Muslims in Madhya Pradesh. I am sorry for the delay in acknowledging it.
There are all kinds of trends among the Muslims in India and some of them are undoubtedly objectionable. I think, however, that we should not be led away by these and we should try to judge the broad situation objectively. If Muslims generally in India are unhappy or dissatisfied, then the fault is ours and not the Muslims'. This indeed would apply to any large group of persons. The Muslims in India have suffered. a tremendous shock from the Partition and its consequences and it was and is up to us to make them feel that they are completely at home in India and their interests lie in India and not elsewhere. If we fail to do so, it is not much good our saying that Muslims are being misguided by some of their leaders.
It is a fact that there is a great deal of frustration in the Muslim mind in Inida. I am not referring to people who maybe pro-Pakistan. There are not very many like that. Btu conditions have arisen in India, which bring continuous pressure on the Muslims in various ways. There is the question of employment in government services, all India and state. There is even the question of education facilities in colleges and the rest of it. Even in business there is pressure against them. It is not surprising that they lack security for the future."
(Source: The Indian Currents, 19 March, 2000)
