Could you a few days ago imagine the RSS chief visiting a mosque? It was unthinkable to guess such a visit some time ago. But Mohan Bhagwat broke the jinx on September 22 when he visited a mosque as well as a madrasa in Delhi, Naturally, the move took everyone by surprise. Soon speculation started: was RSS changing its policy viz a viz Indian Muslims?
The move was not just well-planned but well-publicized too with wide media publicity as well. A day earlier news leaked that Mohan Bhagwat had a month ago met a high-profile five-member Muslim delegation during his earlier visit to Delhi. The delegation included former election commissioner S Y Quereshi, former Delhi lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung, former Aligarh Muslim University vice chancellor Zameer Uddin Shah, Urdu journalist Shahid Siddique and businessman Sherwani. Soon afterward the national media was following the RSS chief visiting the mosque and a Muslim seminary.
What is Bhagwat up to? Is he seriously toeing the idea of transforming the RSS worldview? After all, the RSS was born to build Hindu Rashtra wherein Indian Muslims could live only as marginalized second-rate citizens. Were the mosque and madrasa visits seriously meant to give a signal to the country that Muslims do have a place in the country and they must be treated at par with Hindus?
Frankly, leopards don’t change spots. The RSS too cannot change viz a viz Muslims. If this avowedly Hindu organization bends to Muslims, it loses its raison deter. There could even be a revolt within the RSS against Bhagwat for compromising the RSS ideology and purpose. Muslim hatred is the RSS DNA. Its political organ the BJP and earlier Jan Sangh were launched only to marginalize Muslims in Indian social and political life. The organization with hard work and sacrifices is now about to reach its goal under Narender Modi’s leadership. How can it afford to take u-turn at this stage?
The day the RSS chief visited a mosque, Attorney General Ashok Mehta stood up in the Supreme Court and vehemently opposed Muslim girls donning a hijab in Karnataka educational institutions. Similarly, the Yogi government continued the madarsa survey in Uttar Pradesh. The Hindu individuals and outfits on
that very day argued against the Muslim party in the Gyanvapi mosque dispute at Varanasi. Besides, can the BJP afford to win any election without raking up Muslim hatred? Certainly not. So don’t jump to any conclusion that the RSS chief’s recent gestures towards the Muslim community will lead to any major changes in the RSS policy viz a viz Indian Muslims.
But surely Bhagwat was up to something when he decided to visit a mosque and a madarsa. He seems to have two targets behind his recent Muslim moves. First, Nupur Sharna’s derogatory statement had serious diplomatic and possible financial fallout across the Islamic countries. Bhagwat was trying to lower the temperature in the Islamic world with his trip to a mosque and a madarsa— both highly respected institutions in the Islamic world. Secondly, both the RSS and the BJP are uncomfortable with the possibility of a united opposition camp contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha elections against the BJP. A unified Muslim vote bank casting its ballot for the united opposition candidate may upset the Modi applecart in 2024. Electoral data suggests that Muslims may tilt the balance in a little over 100 Lok Sabha constituencies’ if their vote is not divided. Therefore, there is an urgent need to confuse and try to divide the Muslim voter. It is quite evident from Bhagwat:s recent Muslim gesture that the mosque, the madarsa and middle-class individuals will be used to spread confusion among the Muslims to divide the community voter in the 2024 elections.
| Posted by Neha Khan | 
