Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is a Hindu nationalist movement which bases itself on the principles of Hindutva. It was started in 1925 by Dr. K.B. Hedgewar. In 1948 it was banned following the assassination of Mohandas Gandhi by Nathuram Godse, a right-wing Hindu who was upset at Gandhi's "appeasement" of Muslims. Godse was an ex-member of RSS as well as the Congress Party. The Sangh was cleared after an investigation and the ban was lifted the following year. Since then it has slowly gained prominence and political influence, culminating in the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), usually considered to be the political wing of the Sangh movement, to head the central government (Center) of India.
Central to the RSS ideology has been the belief that real national unity and progress will come only when India is `purged' of non-Hindus, or, when members of other communities subordinate themselves `willingly' to `Hindu superiority.
The Sangh organises itself hierarchically, with a single individual, the sarsanghachalak, directing it. The RSS does not have a democratic structure. Positions are decided by appointment, with each sarsanghachalak appointing his successor. Most of the organisational work of the Sangh is done through the coordination of shakhas, or clubs, which consist of a group of men and women . These shakhas are run every morning for 1 - 2 hours in public places. Currently more than 25,000 shakhas run throughout the India.
The Sangh is usually considered to be a right-wing group and the Hindutva philosophy is often labelled "fascist" by its critics. RSS supporters say their main demand has been that the Government stop the alleged "appeasement" of Muslims, such as the handling of the controversial Shah Bano case and government subsidies for Hajj pilgrimage. Critics say these stir up anti-Muslim hate, and ignore Hindu-oriented policies such as tax breaks for Hindu undivided families, the funding of Hindu pilgrimages, and the prevention of discrimination against lower castes.
The British Broadcasting Company on 31 August 2001 ran an expose of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), a fundamentalist, militant Hindu nationalist organization. According to the BBC investigation he VHP is an organization, which operates under the umbrella of the pro-Facist Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS). The RSS is the parent organization of the ruling BJP.
The BBC notes that the RSS and its umbrella organisations has promoted Hindu supremacy and has engaged in violent acts against minorities. These acts include the murder of missionary Graham Staines and his two young sons while they slept in their jeep. The report states that the VHP, which it identifies as ``a hardline Hindu outfit, rarely makes a ``distinction between fellow (Muslim) citizens of the present and (Muslim `marauders' of the past. It further reports that ``the ambition of establishing a resurgent Hinduism by inculcating what some historians call a carefully constructed common `Hindu spirit' is very much central to the RSS. Moreover, it exposes the RSS's support for a militant Hindus' project to build a Hindu temple on the site of the most revered mosque in India , which was destroyed by the BJP.
Since the RSS, VHP and BJP are the same entity, it is critical to help ensure the rights of minorities in India . Tens of thousands of Sikhs and other minorities have been held in illegal custody as political prisoners for many years. Tens of thousands of minorities have been killed by the Indian governments regardless of the political party in power. It is time to stop American aid to India and to support self-determination for all the people of South Asia in the form of a plebiscite on independence so that their rights are not subject to the whims of militant Hindu nationalists.
The stated historical position of the RSS and the Hindutva movement is that Hindus have been oppressed in their own homeland (India) for many years, and that RSS is only asserting the natural rights of Hindus and correcting historical wrongs. The most notable conflict over this divergent view of history involves the Babri Masjid mosque, The Sangh's official position is that all inhabitants of India — irrespective of their stated religion — are Hindus, and their idea of a Hindu country therefore accommodates every religion. (See Hindutva for further discussion)
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The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh essay RSS and Hindu Militancy in the 1980's