Those who understand the Sangh's work do not call it communal: Telangana RSS leader

Sangh is for the unity of the country, he said.Speaking about the growth of the RSS in Telangana, he said there were 2,874 daily shakhas of the RSS active at 1,836 places in the State.

Though some people may accuse the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh of promoting communalism, those who understand the organisation would appreciate its work, Telangana Prant Karyavah Kacham Ramesh said on Thursday.

Asked how the RSS would dispel the allegation that it promoted communalism, Ramesh claimed that there had been no instance of the RSS creating unrest on the basis of religion in its long history, and that some people were criticising the outfit with a political agenda.

''The RSS talks only about the country, not about religion,'' he asserted.

Stating that even the Supreme Court, the top court of the country, had observed that Hindutva was a way of life, Ramesh said the word 'Hindu' referred not to religion but to culture and nationalism. ''If 'Hindu' is about religion, why did Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose establish the Azad Hind Fauj,'' he asked.

The RSS has earlier been called a 'paramilitary force' and labelled as 'Hitler's men', he said.

However, those who have participated in Sangh activities or observed its work closely do not accept that it works on the basis of hatred, he insisted. His reasoning: ''No organisation in the world promoting hatred would have survived for 100 years.'' The RSS is gaining popularity as it speaks about service and national interest, he said, referring to the opening of an RSS 'shakha' in the former Maoist stronghold of Naxalbari village in West Bengal to illustrate the gains made by the organisation.

The RSS leader briefed the media about the Sangh's progress in the last year in Telangana and also spoke about the recent Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS) meeting of RSS held in Haryana.

Asked about RSS's views on pro-Khalistan activity, which seems to be rearing its head lately, and also the issue of cross-border terrorism, Ramesh said the responsibility to uphold the rule of law and to control terrorism is with the government.

Stating that the RSS has always worked to promote unity among people, he said the Sangh does not accept any separatist movement -- not just Khalistan -- and opposes any attempts to hurt the nation's integrity, fraternity and harmony. ''Sangh is for the unity of the country,'' he said.

Speaking about the growth of the RSS in Telangana, he said there were 2,874 daily 'shakhas' of the RSS active at 1,836 places in the State. Compared to last year, the numbers have grown by 377 'Shakhas' in 195 places.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)