Summary:
Raipur, Sep 12 (PTI) The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Monday lashed out at the Congress, saying it wants to connect people through hatred, while asserting the national party"s earlier generations, too, harboured animosity and contempt for the Hindutva organization.
RSS Joint General Secretary Manmohan Vaidya, apparently referring to the Congress"s Bharat Jodo Yatra, described it as a "political gimmick" that will not serve its stated purpose of uniting masses.
Addressing a press conference after the conclusion of the three-day all-India coordination meeting of the RSS in Chhattisgarh"s capital Raipur, he claimed the grand old party harboured hatred for the Nagpur-headquartered organization and tried to scuttle its growth, but the outfit nevertheless expanded with support of the society.
The Congress on Monday tweeted a picture of a burning pair of khakhi shorts -- a part of the RSS uniform earlier, saying, "To free the country from shackles of hate and undo the damage done by BJP-RSS.
Step by step, we will reach our goal", while referring to its Bharat Jodo Yatra, a mass contact programme launched by the party last week from Kanniyakumari in Tamil Nadu.
Queried about Congress"s tweet, the senior RSS leader said, “If anyone does a job of connecting people of India then it"s a good thing, but how do you connect - through hatred or love? The spiritual identity of India is called Hindutva in the world.
Hindutva is not a religion.
..If anyone tries to unite the country by recognizing the element that associates people in true sense, then he/she is welcomed." “Otherwise if you try to unite people through hatred then it will seem like a political gimmick and will not serve the purpose of connecting people”, Vaidya added.
The number of people connecting with the idea of Hindutva was "growing", he maintained.
Vaidya further said, “Do you (Congress) want to connect people by hatred? They (Congress) have harboured hatred from a long time (against RSS).
His (apparently referring to Rahul Gandhi) ancestors (baap-dada) have insulted the Sangh and put their all might to stop the Sangh and imposed a ban on it twice.
But the Sangh kept growing because we have true principles.