CPI(M) denounces RSS chief’s speech reigniting Mathura, Kashi campaigns
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) strongly condemned the speech made by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, who attempted to reignite the Mathura and Kashi campaigns, stating that his remarks “reflect the RSS’s disregard for the Indian Constitution and are in violation of the law of the land.”
Speaking at the three-day lecture series event to mark the RSS’s centenary year, held at Vigyan Bhawan on Thursday, Bhagwat said that swayamsevaks are free to join movements for Kashi and Mathura, and that Muslims should let go of these three for “brotherhood.”
“The RSS doesn’t join temple movements; the only one that the RSS joined was the Ram temple movement, and we saw it to its conclusion. The Sangh will not join any more (temple) movements … In the Hindu mindset, Kashi, Mathura, and Ayodhya hold great significance – two as birthplaces and one as a place of residence. And so, the Hindu society will have an urge for these places,” Bhagwat said.
He added that while the outfit will not join these movements, the swayamsevaks can.
“The RSS will not be a part of these movements, but the swayamsevaks are free to join,” he said.
He further stated that while Hindus should not look for temples in all places, Muslims should let go of these three for brotherhood.
“We should not look for shivling or mandir in all places, and if I, as the head of a Hindu organisation, am making this announcement, the other side should also let go of these three. This will be a big step for brotherhood,” Bhagwat said.
The CPI(M) highlighted that after the demolition of the Babri Masjid, an act in which the RSS was involved, the Parliament passed a law prohibiting the alteration of any religious site that existed before 1947.
After the demolition of Babri, various Hindutva forces have constantly invoked the slogan “Ayodhya toh sirf jhanki hai, Kashi-Mathura baki hai,” which translates to “Ayodhya is just a trailer, Kashi and Mathura are still left,” referring to the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi and the Shahi Eidgah Mosque in Mathura.
The CPI(M) statement noted that “such demands are aimed at provoking communal passions, diverting public attention, and polarising society along religious lines.”
“The RSS chief is raking up these divisive issues in order to shield the BJP government from public anger ahead of the upcoming elections,” the CPI(M) said, further accusing the RSS and its affiliated organisations of inciting communal divisions.
“The RSS chief is raking up these divisive issues in order to shield the BJP government from public anger ahead of the upcoming elections,” the CPI(M) said.
“It has long been the practice of the RSS and its affiliated organisations to incite communal divisions whenever they seek to distract people from their worsening economic conditions.”
“With higher US tariffs, a weakening economy, growing attacks on peasants and workers, and mounting proof of electoral malpractices and manipulation, the public is increasingly getting disillusioned with the BJP-led government, seeing its failures more clearly,” read the statement.
The CPI(M) called upon the people of the country to “remain vigilant” against the divisive policies of the RSS, stressing that “the unity and integrity of India are of utmost importance and must be safeguarded at all costs.”
To achieve this, they said, “it is urgently necessary to build broad-based resistance by uniting all sections of the people.”
