Juvenile fears of Congress to the fore

Sharmistha Mukherjee, the daughter of Pranab Mukherjee, former President, was on the spot when she tweeted "But the speech will be forgotten, visuals will remain..." just ahead of the latter's Nagpur event. She was also right in saying that the RSS did not expect Pranab to endorse its views but would use the opportunity to the fullest in trumping up its propaganda.

Well, the world has seen the optics played out from Nagpur and though the Congress tried to save its face by hailing the speech as "a mirror shown to the RSS" its discomfort was evident.

Some did appreciate Pranab's decision to attend the RSS event while some others, particularly, in the Congress were worked up over the issue. Some went to the extent of asking whether Pranab Mukherjee should be disowned by the Congress party just as the RSS did of L K Advani for endorsing Mohd Ali Jinnah while on a tour in Pakistan. Veteran Congress leader Chidambaram said: "Go but, tell them about their flaws." Ahmed Patel and others cried foul.

Pranab Mukherjee simply went there and gave his view of Hinduism and Hindu Rashtra as opposed to the view of the RSS. Before him, Mohan Bhagwat, the chief of RSS, delivered in his speech the quintessence of the RSS ideology. Each chose the same subject, and rightly so, in the present turbulent context of politics. Unity in diversity was the key note of Pranab Da's speech.

The RSS chief chose to emphasise their view - Hindutva as unifying factor of the diversity - to seek a new nation-building effort. Both were highlighting the 5,000-year-old culture and its greatness.
Pranab Da spoke like a teacher while Bhagwat spoke like a preacher. Pranab's point was that the diversity must be allowed without any restraint for Hinduism to glow, while Bhagwat felt that accepting Hindutva at the core was essential.

That was a classic 'Samvad' at display, true example of the tolerance of Hinduism. This was a 'Samvad' between the one who interprets Hinduism as 'restrictive and exclusive,' arguing that its doctrines were inspired by an activist version of Hindu nationalism and, indirectly, by the values of Brahmanism, and, the other who argues its strengths are in its devotional and quietist values of popular Hinduism. Even if one were to call it a tussle between Hindutva and Hinduism, the 'Samvad' threw up a question: Why was the Congress so scared?

Is the RSS such a dreaded outfit in view of the Congress, that it does not even want its leaders and cadres have any interaction with it? Or does it think that an hour or two's interaction is enough for the RSS to change the views of anyone? Moreover, Pranab Da is now just an ordinary citizen, though he is an embodiment of all that the Congress stood for all these years, leading a peaceful and fruitful life.

Perhaps, there is much more to the hatred of the present Congress leadership towards the RSS?
What must be really surprising for an observer is that the Congress leadership of pre-Sonia Gandhi era was not all that angry with the RSS. Jawaharlal Nehru had certainly invited a contingent of the RSS to take part in the Republic-Day Parade even.

Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi too were not so spiteful of the RSS. In fact, in the good old days, the RSS cadres had no other choice but to vote for the Congress in general. In several elections held across the country, the RSS members and sympathisers preferred voting for the Congress. One could see those people not only vote for the Congress but also campaign for the Congress party. In places like Guntur and Narasraopet, they pitched tents and campaigned for the Congress, senior citizens would recall.

That is history and no one could dispute it. May be because the hardcore Hindutva did not take firm roots till then just as the vote bank politics in the name of secularism. If Babri Masjid demolition is one factor which hardened the divide between the Hindus and Muslims, it was certainly the Sonia era in the Congress party that has targeted the RSS vehemently as never before.

Pranab Mukherjee should know better why this has happened as he was the mentor of Sonia in several ways and gave her a 'vision' of the country. Sonia-Rahul era has gone to the extent of coining the word 'Hindu Terrorism."

This could have been behind the Congress party's jitters at the very thought of Pranab attending the RSS event. Was it afraid that Pranab would speak about this shift in the Congress stand toward the RSS and the reasons thereof? Or that he would explain to the nation why the Congress was mortally afraid of the RSS? Because, other than Pranab, no one could really tell us this tectonic shift in the Congress attitude.

As for Pranab's views of Hinduism, those are well-known and one does not expect him to change those views now. There is no need too, because he certainly knows what he is speaking. There is too little for any practitioner of Hinduism to criticise him in it.

How wrong the Congress was in raving and ranting against him. Just a juvenile display of its fears? As for the RSS, it has been in existence for decades now, some 92 years and more to be precise. Has it ever changed its view of Hinduism (which is now being called Hindutva)?

But ours is a democracy. Let us just remember that and let us not say no to a debate. Those who expect the country to talk to Pakistan or Kashmiri separatists for seeking solutions to some serious problems must also be prepared to accept this internal exercise of democratic debates. That is if at all they believe in democracy in the first place.

Pranab Mukherjee has shown certainly shown the mirror to the RSS. He surely did show a mirror to the Congress too. He does not need to learn any lessons on democracy and nationalism from either the Congress or the RSS.

We may not be votaries of the RSS ideology. Congress's knee-jerk reaction to Pranab's visit is ill-advised. Because, its leadership readily jumps into the lap of Imam Bukhari or rushes to Kashmir to hold civil talks with the Hurriyat and hails a former Vice-President's visit to Aligarh Muslim University during the 'Jinnah" issue.

These optics too have played out just as much as in case of Pranab's visit. The Congress should realize that all the benefits of its 'Temple Run' (by Rahul Gandhi) could get wiped out with this one single objection. It was hard put to contain the damage of its appeasement policy practiced by it in the name of secularism all these years.

As Sharmistha feared the Congress has lost the perception battle in the latest case. The RSS has trumped. It never needed any conduct certificate and Pranab is not the one to issue it too.

Still, the widely watched programme of about three hours was enough for the RSS to air its views across so vividly and so candidly for the first time. The hype created by the media got at least half the nation glued to the channels on the day.

RSS and Pranab were on the same page as far as nationalism was concerned. Only the means of practising Hinduism were different. The Congress is the real loser by the way! (Really these guys know how to lose every advantage). Whosoever told them that the next elections would be fought on ideological basis? Just stick to the agenda of farmers, dalits and minorities and be accommodative of the alliance partners and be ready to sacrifice posts. That should be the key to success.