Targeting anti-India forces for fuelling hatred in Manipur and attacking “cultural Marxists” and “woke elements” for their negative impact on India’s education and culture, Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, in his annual address at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur on Tuesday, cautioned people to remain alert to “anti-India” sentiments. On Vijayadasami, which is also the RSS’ founding day, Mr. Bhagwat asked the people of India to vote for the “best available option”. In a veiled message, he asked people to “control their tongue” as their words incited hatred within the country.
“For many years, Meitei and Kuki communities have been living together in Manipur. How did the violence erupt all of a sudden? That is a border area of India. If conflict will erupt here, it will benefits external forces. Are external factors involved?” Mr. Bhagwat said.
Hailing the “stable, strong and proactive” Central government’s efforts to tackle the situation in Manipur, Mr. Bhagwat said, “Home Minister Amit Shah went and stayed in Manipur for three days and many other Ministers stayed 15-15 days to ensure that tension is controlled.”
Mr. Shah visited Manipur at the end of May this year for three days. So far, Nityanand Rai, Minister of State for Home Affairs, is the second Union Minister to have visited Manipur since violence broke out in early May.
The RSS chief maintained there were forces “attempting to trigger hatred and violence by causing an incident as soon as any positive step is seen being taken in that direction [of peace]”. He also praised the RSS’ swayamsevaks for “dedicatedly serving everyone and organising relief work” and appealed to “positive, influential people of society to help bring peace in Manipur”.
Expressing concern over the influence of “cultural Marxists” and “woke elements” in negatively impacting India’s education and culture, the RSS chief said that the modus operandi of “destructive and divisive forces” involved “taking control of media and academia, and plunging education, culture, politics and social environment into confusion, chaos, and corruption”.
“Such an environment enables the creation of a vicious cycle of fear, confusion and hatred. A society that is divided and entangled in mutual conflicts and confusion becomes weak, and easily and unknowingly falls prey to these destructive forces that are seeking their own dominance everywhere,” he said.
“We often see that a small incident gets exaggerated and publicised in a dramatic manner....tool-kits that incite violence are activated, and mutual suspicion and hatred are further intensified. All who seek and favour harmony in society need to be wary of these nefarious games,” Mr. Bhagwat said.
Warning people to control their speech (“zubaan par lagaam”), Mr. Bhagwat said that imprudent language was increasing with each passing day. He cautioned those “who want India to grow and flourish” to “not fall prey to divisive forces”. He stressed that this cautionary advice was “for all” and “not a particular community or people”. “I won’t get a house if I go to look in an area that doesn’t have my people. I will get a house only in an area where my people live. How did so much enmity develop between the people of one country?” Mr. Bhagwat said.
In the special session of Parliament organised in October, BJP Lok Sabha MP Ramesh Bidhuri had hurled communal slurs at Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) member Kunwar Danish Ali, drawing criticism from all parties.
Mr. Bhagwat said people should vote cautiously. “The country is going to hold elections to the Lok Sabha in the early days of 2024 and there will be attempts to harvest votes by inflaming emotions,” Mr. Bhagwat said. “Let us avoid these things as they hurt the unity of society. Think with a calm mind as to who is good and has done good…who is available best.”
Speaking of the environmental crisis in India and the world, Mr. Bhagwat said that the Himalayan region had special geological, geo-strategic and geo-political significance, and development in the region should keep that in mind. “We have just seen a crisis like Joshimath [land subsidence] and Himachal Pradesh [destruction caused by heavy rain and floods]. People are worried but we need to find out ways to tackle this. We have northern borders in this area where China is trying to enter... so we have to think of border security. We have to think of water crisis in the country as all the important rivers flow from this region,” Mr. Bhagwat said.
Speaking of the ongoing conflicts in the world, Mr. Bhagwat said that the world was looking to India to lead by example and show a new path to peace. He also praised India’s endeavours in bringing human-centrism to the economy-centric G-20. From praising Indian sportspersons for leaping past the 100-mark in the medals tally for the first time in the Asian Games to moon mission Chandrayaan’s success, the RSS chief congratulated the government and people for their efforts.
