RSS boss wants law on population control, early construction of Ram temple

1. RSS boss wants law on RSS boss wants law on population control, early population control, early construction of Ram temple construction of Ram temple He said it needed to be studied whether an ordinance can be issued on the Ram temple issue and legal challenges to it will have to be looked into Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Wednesday called for a law or a policy on population control and early construction of a “grand” Ram temple in Ayodhya. He indicated his support if the government were to bring an ordinance on the temple issue, provided such an ordinance could stand the test of legal scrutiny.Bhagwat took up several questions on the last day of the three-day outreach conclave of the Sangh.

2. Months away from crucial elections to five states and subsequently the Lok Sabha polls, he presented the moderate face of the RSS -- as an organisation devoted to social work and building a strong nation - which believes in the Constitution of India.The session was also marked by an outreach to the Dalit community. Bhagwat spoke in support of reservations, stating the constitutional provision should end only if the demand comes from Scheduled Castes themselves, but said the politicisation of the reservation issue was a problem. He also supported the law to prevent atrocities on SCs and STs, but said it shouldn’t be misused.The RSS chief didn’t mention either Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah by name, or even the Congress party, but said expediency made politicians use such language as “shamshan-kabristan” and “saffron terror”, which shouldn’t happen. The RSS chief said the 92-year-old Sangh opposed cow vigilantism and the law should punish perpetrators but wanted to know why similar a hue and cry, as is raised to protest lynchings, is missing when cows are smuggled.The case is currently being heard in the Supreme Court.Bhagwat said he wasn't sure if an ordinance on Ram temple could be promulgated as he is not a part of the government, but indicated he didn’t oppose such a move. He said it needed to be studied whether an ordinance can be issued and legal challenges to it will have to be looked into.Responding to a question that RSS was a Brahmin-dominated organisation, Bhagwat said the character of the Sangh was changing, and people from all caste groups were finding representation at the zonal level, and this change would soon reflect at the national level. The RSS chief called for an education policy based on the Indian value system and imparting education in mother tongue. He said there has been an increased acceptance of Hindutva the world over, but anger against Hindutva emanated in India primarily because it became orthodox, and there was a need to reform the concept.Replying to a question regarding Muslims fearing the Sangh, Bhagwat said RSS disagrees with the use of the term ‘minority’, which the British introduced. He said Muslims would change their opinion of the RSS if they were to study the Sangh more closely, and they were the children of this land as their forefathers were Hindu.Bhagwat disowned second RSS chief M S Golwalkar’s views of Muslims in his book, ‘Bunch of Thoughts’. Golwalkar had identified Muslims, along with Christians and Communists, as enemies of the Hindu Rashtra.On the Sangh’s proximity with the BJP, Bhagwat said the RSS would be willing to send its workers to other parties, but none apart from BJP has ever requested. He said the RSS supported policies, not any particular party.On the Sangh's belief in ‘swadeshi’, Bhagwat said it was based on the principle that all goods should be manufactured in the country, and imported only if the technology isn’t available here. The RSS chief said he recognised limitations of this policy if the exchequer didn’t have money. Read our full coverage on RSS