RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat | Photo: PTI RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat | Photo: PTI As several demands for surveys of mosques to unearth temples have recently found their way to courts across the country, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has expressed concern, calling the resurgence of temple-mosque disputes "not acceptable."
Delivering a lecture titled ‘India – The Vishwaguru’ at Sahjeevan Vyakhyanmala on Thursday, Bhagwat advocated for an inclusive society and said the world needs to be shown that the country can live together in harmony.
Highlighting the plurality of Indian society, the chief of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) said Christmas is celebrated in Ramakrishna Mission, adding “only we can do this because we are Hindus”.
Much like the men, the women did so surrounded by a sea of orange, with Dutch fans filling Yves-du-Manoir Stadium and making for a festive atmosphere. Also like the men, it did not happen easily.
The 36-year-old said that despite cricket drawing a lot of attention, it just is always special when the Indian hockey team clinches a medal.
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“We have been living in harmony for a long time. To provide this harmony to the world, we must create a model of it,” Bhagwat said, as quoted by news agency PTI in its report. Referring to new disputes, he added, “After the construction of the Ram Mandir, some people think they can become leaders of Hindus by raking up similar issues in new places. This is not acceptable.”
RSS, the ideological-organisational parent of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was founded during British colonial rule on September 25, 1925, to establish a Hindu Rashtra (Hindu nation).
The Ram temple was constructed as it was a matter of faith for all Hindus, Bhagwat said. He warned against the daily emergence of new disputes, saying, “How can this be allowed? This cannot continue. India needs to show that we can live together.”
spinzwinBhagwat also commented on the historical context of communal divides. He claimed that during the rule of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, staunchness led to division, though his descendant, Bahadur Shah Zafar, banned cow slaughter in 1857. He added that the British deepened these divides by creating a rift between communities during the Ram Mandir dispute, ultimately giving rise to Pakistan.
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Bhagwat asked why the “language of dominance” was being used if everybody identifies themselves as Indians. “Who is a minority and who is a majority? Everyone is equal here. The tradition of this nation is that all can follow their own forms of worship. The only requirement is to live in harmony and abide by rules and laws,” the RSS chief said.
The RSS chief's comments come after the Supreme Court, on December 12, issued a nationwide directive restraining courts from entertaining fresh petitions or passing orders to survey mosques to determine whether temple structures lie beneath them. This follows a spate of petitions filed by right-wing groups claiming that Mughal rulers destroyed temples to build mosques. Muslim groups are fighting legal battles against these claims in courts across the country.
One recent petition claims that the Ajmer Sharif Dargah, a revered shrine dedicated to Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti, was originally a Shiva temple. Filed by Vishnu Gupta, the chief of the Hindu Sena, the plea seeks permission for worship to resume at the site.
Last monthswerte gaming, in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal, clashes occurred between protesters and police during a survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid, a 16th-century monument. The petition alleged that Mughal ruler Babur demolished the Hari Har temple in the 1520s to build the mosque. It described Sambhal as a historical city with strong connections to Hindu scriptures, which prophesy it as the birthplace of Kalki, an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu.