Mr. Mohan Bhagwat has an uncanny sense of time. He rarely speaks, but his choice of day and occasion is excellent. His choice of words is also very good although I only read them in the English version. Many disagree strongly with his views – and I always agree – but one cannot but agree that Mr. Bhagwat’s speeches command attention, especially after 2014.
His words are considered the official views of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). That is because of the nature and structure of the organization and his position as Sarsanghchalak, the Head. The Chief is believed to have absolute authority over the RSS. Therefore, Mr. Bhagwat’s remarks must be taken seriously and, recently, they are.
Cool air
Soon after the announcement of the results of the Lok Sabha elections, in June 2024, Mr. Bhagwat made a speech in which the highlight was his exhortation “Stop being arrogant, be modest”. It was his first public speech after the LS election and he said:
- Election speech that used lies and bad language violates the dignity that parties are expected to display;
- Your opponent is not an enemy, he only represents an opposing point of view; instead of opponents, call them opponents; the views of the opposition must also be considered; again
- A true sevak maintains dignity (maryada). He does not have the arrogance (ahankar) of ‘I have done this work’.
- The speech was widely interpreted as a reference to Mr Modi and his election campaign.
The next notable speech was in July where Mr Bhagwat said that “a man wants to be Superman, then Dev, then Bhagwan”. It was clearly a contradiction of Mr Modi’s claim that he was not born ‘organic’. If Mr Modi denied pregnancy, conception and procreation, was he referring to himself as ‘creation’? And was Mr Bhagwat implying that Mr Modi might have crossed the line?
Cold wave
The third speech was on RSS entering its 100th year on Vijayadasami day, October 12, 2024. I read the reported text in English (times of india. indiatimes.com). I was disappointed, but not surprised that Mr. Bhagwat returned to the established positions of the RSS. His speech was full of words and phrases like Dharma, Sanskriti, personal and national character, triumph of fortune and righteousness, and pride. He talked about the conflict between Hamas and Israel but did not talk about the death of 43,000 people; in the J&K elections but did not give his wishes to the new government; and in Manipur but he said it was ‘disturbed’.
Some of Mr. Bhagwat’s speech was a typical Modi speech: how strong Bharat as a nation is, how the world is embracing our sense of global brotherhood, and how Bharat is showing, strength, honor and position on the world stage. There were more: efforts to destroy the country are intensifying, so-called free countries do not hesitate to attack other countries or overthrow their democratically elected governments through illegal or violent means, deliberate attempts to tarnish the image of Bharat based on lies, etc. Mr. Bhagwat did not provide evidence for these serious allegations. Referring to Bangladesh, he was full and pointed to the ‘unfounded atrocities on the Hindu community’, the ‘sword of danger that will hang over the heads of all the minority communities including the Hindus’, and ‘illegal immigration. from Bangladesh to Bharat and the resulting population inequality’. Finally, on destruction like Modi, he said, ‘Hindu community all over the world should learn a lesson that disorganization and weakness is like inviting the brutality of the wicked’.
The eye of the beholder
Substitute the word ‘Muslim’ for the word ‘Hindu’, especially in usage, and it seems that the speaker was justifying all the social conflicts. All the thoughts and words of Mr. Bhagwat can be used to describe the plight of Muslims and Dalits in India, blacks in the United States, Jews before World War Germany, Palestinians in their own country, every minority threatened by the majority, and women. all over. Who is the abuser and who is the victim is in the eye of the beholder.
And it seems that the RSS is well versed in the language of modern political discourse, and Mr. Bhagwat used the terms liberally: deep state, wokeism, cultural Marxist, fault line-finding, and Alternative Politics. Mr Bhagwat missed ‘urban naxals’ and ‘tukde tukde gang’. He spoke about the ‘Arab Spring’ and ‘what happened recently in neighboring Bangladesh’, and warned of ‘similar evil attempts around Bharat’. I wonder what is ‘bad’ about the Arab Spring or the student uprising against the brutal government in Bangladesh that ‘won’ the election and the Opposition leaders in jail.
It seems that RSS and BJP have resolved their differences and closed ranks. With no one to offend Mr. Modi’s words and actions, he will feel emboldened to exercise his authority, harass the opposition, and pursue his policies that have led to inflation, unemployment, inequality, rival capitalism, social oppression, communal strife and injustice. Get ready for more Modi-speak and Modi acts.