RSS flays Nitish Kumar's remark on secular Prime Minister candidate - Economic Times
"Nitish Kumar has said NDA's Prime Ministerial candidate for 2014 elections should be secular. He has made the statement so that his vote bank remains intact," Bhagwat told a meeting of RSS volunteers here.
According to those present in the meeting which was out of bounds for the media, Bhagwat also described Hinduism as an "all-inclusive" religion and wondered why a "Hinduwadi" should not become the Prime Minister.
"Hinduism is the religion of humanism. You are right and we are also right, Hinduism follows this broad philosophy," he was quoted as having said.
To keep alive the Hindu ideology, the Hindu 'samaaj' should come together and the country should have a prime minister who believes in that ideology or propounds that view, he is reported to have said.
In Delhi, RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav said that Hindutva is the "true synonym" for secularism and is liberal as it embraces all other religions.
"To portray it (Hindutva) as anti-secular is not correct and narrow minded. Hindutva is the true synonym for secularism... We have always felt that Hindutva is the ideological anchor of RSS and it is liberal, all embracing and a secular idea," he told reporters.
He also said that what its chief Mohan Bhagwat said while addressing its swayamsevaks should not be viewed in the context of the present political situation in the country.
"It is uncalled for to link his view to day-to-day happenings on the political front and statements of certain leaders," Madhav said.
RSS backs Narendra Modi as prime ministerial candidate - Daily Pioneer
"To keep alive the Hindutva ideology, the Hindu 'samaaj' (society) should come together. And the country should have a prime minister who believes in that ideology or propounds that view," Bhagwat told reporters here.
Bhagwat's comments came a day after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar hit out at Narendra Modi without naming him and said that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, should announce a secular prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
Nitish Kumar Tuesday made it clear that Modi is unacceptable as an NDA candidate for prime ministership.
"Will Nitish decide what sort of person makes a good PM?" Bhagwat questioned.
He also slammed Nitish Kumar and said that he is scared to call himself a Hindu.
The Nitish-Modi rivalry has been on a high for the past few days. Modi took a dig at politicians from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar for what the Gujarat chief minister called "resort to caste-based politics".
Nitish Kumar then said that Modi, who has been a constant irritant in the JD(U)-BJP coalition ties in Bihar, should mind his own business instead of making comments on others.
RSS snubs Nitish Kumar over 'secular PM' remark - Hindustan Times
The RSS chief’s assertion that the next PM should be a Hindutva proponent comes at a time when the NDA is battling dissension over whom to back for president. Key alliance partner Shiv Sena has already jumped the gun by coming out in support of UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee.
While the JD(U)'s stand against Modi is a challenge to the RSS adherence to Hindutva - making Kumar's statements unpalatable to the hardline saffron constituency - the Bihar CM sees overt criticism of Modi as part of a careful projection of himself as a pro-minority leader and the only "secular" face in the NDA. The question is how the alliance will handle such political complexities.
"What is the harm in having a pro-Hindutva Prime Minister? It is none of his (Kumar's) business to decide who is secular or not," Bhagwat told RSS volunteers in Latur, Maharashtra.
RSS leader Ram Madhav explained: "Hindutva is the true synonym for secularism. It is a secular, liberal and all-embracing idea." The RSS chief's remark, however, came as a shot in the arm for Modi.
At a time when the BJP has many prime ministerial hopefuls, Bhagwat's remark strengthens Modi's standing by making Hindutva its crucial qualification for a PM candidate. However, Sangh insiders hinted that BJP chief, Nitin Gadkari is high on the RSS's list of PM candidates, with sections of the organisation wary of Modi's dictatorial ways.
JD(U) leader Shivanand Tiwari rushed to Kumar's defence, saying those in the BJP who want the party to return to power should realise that projecting a "fanatic face" wouldn't work. He claimed that the NDA lost the 2004 elections because of the Gujarat riots two years earlier.
While the BJP did not hold an official press briefing, its Gujarat in-charge Balbir Punj said, "None in this country has the right to issue fatwas as to who is secular or not."
RSS rallies behind Modi - Asian Age
[getrss.in: unable to retrieve full-text content]
The secularism-Hindutva battle intensified Wednesday with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat rallying behind Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, saying the country needed a “Hindu” leader. Bihar chief minister and Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish ...RSS justifies chief’s statement on prime ministerial candidate (Lead) - Thaindian.com
“We always held that Hindutva, the ideological anchor of the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) is a liberal, all-embracing and secular idea,” Ram Madhav told reporters here.
“To portray it as anti-secular or narrow-minded is not correct. Hindutva in reality is a true synonym for secularism,” the RSS spokesman maintained.
“This is our ideological position which we have been articulating from time immemorial and the chief of RSS (Mohan Bhagwat) has only reiterated that position,” Madhav said.
“It is totally, utterly uncalled for to link the views expressed before the swayamsevaks to day-to-day political happenings in the country, to individuals or leaders. This is uncalled for and not appropriate,” he said.
Earlier in the day, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had told reporters: “To keep alive the Hindutva ideology, the Hindu ’samaaj’ (society) should come together. And the country should have a prime minister who believes in that ideology or propounds that view.”
Bhagwat’s comments come a day after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said the Bharatiya Janata Party-led opposition National Democratic Alliance should announce a secular prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
Bhagwat had hit out at Kumar too, saying he was scared to call himself a Hindu and questioned his right to decide what sort of person would make a good prime minister.
0 Responses to "RSS flays Nitish Kumar's remark on secular Prime Minister candidate - Economic Times"
Post a Comment