Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat voiced his concern on Thursday over the resurgence of temple-mosque disputes in India. Speaking at a lecture on “India – The Vishwaguru” in Pune, Bhagwat said that some individuals, after the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, are attempting to position themselves as leaders of Hindus by stirring up new disputes. He called this approach unacceptable and detrimental to the harmony of the country.
He said, “We have been living in harmony for a long time. If we want to provide this harmony to the world, we need to create a model of it.” He criticized the continuous creation of new disputes, saying, “Every day, a new matter is being raked up. How can this be allowed? This cannot continue. India needs to show that we can live together.”
His comments come in the wake of growing demands for surveys of mosques to identify if temple structures lie beneath them. These demands have found their way into courts, leading to a Supreme Court directive on December 12 that restrained lower courts from entertaining fresh suits or orders to survey mosques.
The RSS chief also reflected on India’s constitutional values, stating that “the country runs as per the Constitution.” He said that the era of dominance and hegemony is over, with people now choosing their representatives who govern according to the laws of the land. Bhagwat contrasted this with the rule of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, who he described as a symbol of staunch and divisive governance. He pointed out, however, that his descendant, Bahadur Shah Zafar, banned cow slaughter in 1857.
“It was decided that Ram Mandir in Ayodhya should be given to Hindus but the British sensed it and created rift between the two communities,” Bhagwat said, according to PTI.
Bhagwat questioned the use of language that promotes dominance, saying that all Indians, regardless of their background, are equal. He said, “Who is a minority and who is a majority? Everyone is equal here. The tradition of this nation is all can follow their own forms of worship. The only requirement is to live in harmony and abide by rules and laws.”
In his lecture, Bhagwat also reflected on the historical consequences of British policies that created divisions between communities, leading to the creation of Pakistan.
“Since then, this sense of ‘algavwad’ (separatism) came into being. As a result, Pakistan came into existence.”
