Nagpur: Highlighting the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya as a matter of national interest, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday pitched for building it at the earliest through “appropriate and requisite law” and slammed certain “fundamentalist forces” for obstructing the process.
Addressing the cadres of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh here during the annual “Vijayadashmi Utsav”, Bhagwat said the fundamentalist elements and forces were “playing communal politics for selfish gains”.
Despite such machinations, he said the decision regarding the ownership of the land should be expedited and the government should “clear the path for the construction of the grand Ram temple…”.
He said the RSS has always been associated with the sentiments of crores of countrymen in the efforts of construction of the temple at the birthplace of Lord Ram.
“Lord Ram is the personification of the life energy of the nation and an icon of upholding dharma. The original constitution has paintings of Lord Ram in it as a national hero,” he said.
He also hit out at the forces, which he called “a few elements” for allegedly stalling the court’s judgment by presenting various newer interventions in the judicial process for their “obvious game-plan”.
“It is in nobody’s interest to test the patience of the society without any reason.
“The construction of the temple is necessary from the self-esteem point of view. It will also pave the way for an atmosphere of goodwill and oneness in the country,” he said.
The Dussehra function is significant in the RSS’ yearly calendar as the organisation was established on Vijayadashami in 1925 and the “Sarsanghchalak” or the RSS chief addresses a gathering of workers to mark the day.
Referring to the situation on the border, BHagwat said that secured borders are of paramount importance to ensure prosperity and development of India given the current complex international scenario.
“Border security and internal security are issues of foremost consideration as they ensure space and opportunity to the nation for prosperity and development.
“Fruitful efforts have been made to entwine the web of international relations by appraising the nations with our security concerns and getting their cooperation,” Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief said.
While the government and the armed forces have displayed “clear intent to maintain peaceful and cordial relations with all the countries, including the neighbouring ones”, at the same time it was necessary to remain firm and make prudent use of our capabilities while taking bold actions wherever necessary in the context of our security, he said.
For this, Bhagwat said efforts were underway to enhance the morale of our armed forces to make them well-equipped with the latest technologies, which is one of the reasons India’s prestige is rising in the world.
Bhagwat also said attention must be paid to improve the basic amenities of the armed forces and their families, so that they can fight for the security of the borders without harbouring worries for the social security and wellbeing of their loved ones.
Though there are some laudable steps taken by the government, its implementation needs to be expedited as they pass through various departments like Defence, Home and Finance.
“All these actors (departments) need to be more sensitive and respectful to the endeavours of these forces and their readiness to make a supreme sacrifice even by putting their lives at stake that is a natural expectation that comes up in many discussions,” Bhagwat pointed out.
Besides securing the land borders, the RSS Sansanghchalak urged the need to boost India’s maritime borders in view of the dynamic international developments.
“There are hundreds of islands in the coastal area of India from Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the Lakshadweep Isles, situated at strategically important locations. Their maintenance and strengthening the facilities there must be implemented urgently from the security point of view,” Bhagwat added.
He called for prioritising coordination, cooperation and resources among the Indian Navy and other forces guarding the maritime borders and the islands, since Indians living along the sea borders firmly hold their ground despite facing several peculiar challenges.
“If their wellbeing is taken care of these locals in the border areas can be of great assistance to tackle problems like infiltration, smuggling, among others.
“For this proper relief, education, healthcare and employment opportunities must reach them promptly and they should be imbued with patriotism, valour and virtues,” Bhagwat said.
Commenting on the ongoing border skirmishes, the RSS chief said that the newly formed government in Pakistan has not resulted in any decline in its “overt and covert provocative activities” in states like Jammu and Kashmir, and Punjab… “which was neither expected nor happened”.
He added that security without “total self-reliance” in the field of defence production cannot be assured and the pace of national efforts in that direction must be accelerated while continuing with the international multilateral exchanges wherever required.
On Sabrimala issue, he criticised the Supreme Court’s decision allowing entry of women of all ages to the Sabarimala temple in Kerala, saying it was flawed as it did not consider all aspects and hence would not be easily adopted.
“The decisions taken without considering all aspects, will neither be adopted in actual practice nor will they help in creating a new social order in tune with changing times and positions,” Bhagwat said.
Bhagwat said the situation that was witnessed on Wednesday in Sabarimala due to the apex court’s September 28 verdict happened only because of “the tradition that has been accepted by society and continuously followed for years was not taken into consideration”.
“The idea was to have gender equality, which is fine. However, there should have been talks (with the followers of the tradition). The faith of crores of devotees was not taken into account.”
“A large number of women, who follow the tradition, were not heard; their emotions weren’t respected. There has been no effort to discuss with the followers of the faith and that has given rise to unrest and divisiveness in society instead of peace and equality.”
The temple doors opened for the first time on Wednesday after the verdict came over two weeks back. The protesters, who opposed the entry of women in the 10-50 age group clashed with the police as the state government tried to enforce the court’s decision.
Bhagwat said that the origin of a tradition should be analysed properly.
“It should be understood why a particular tradition came into existence. The reasons from which it arose, and whether they were still valid even today.”
Before his speech, Bhagwat also performed a Shastra Puja.
Nobel Peace Prize winner and social activist Kailash Satyarthi was the chief guest at the event held at Reshimbaug here.