By Mayank Jain:
The Story: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has always been known for the crucial function of upholding societal traditions, customs and providing strength to long lost ‘values’ which stops the moral fabric of society from eroding.
In the recently concluded presentation of the annual report of its activities for 2013-14 at a meeting that began on Friday at the Rashtrothana Vidya Kendra, RSS clarified that it’s stand on the vices like homosexuality, live-ins is immovable and it takes pride in the fact that Narendra Modi, who was a swayamsevak is the Prime Minister candidate that people want.
“It is for us to play our role in assessing its implication correctly, so as to bring about the change that will reflect the will and aspirations of the common people,” RSS general secretary Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi said during the presentation. He added, “in the past year, two issues had come up for discussion before society – live-in relationships and homosexuality – which led to arguments, both in favor and against, on according legal sanction to such relationships”.
He expressed the organization’s stand and discomfort in approving such ‘immoral’ things in the following words:Â “Before extending legality to such things, we have to keep in mind the long-time deleterious effect it will have on our social life. Law accords security to the individual. However, a society that goes by its traditions, conventions, culture and life-values, cannot be secured through law. Only guidance based on dharmic and social thought can ensure security to social life”.
The Opinion: There is no need of debate on the ties of BJP and RSS and the strong ideological bond they share but such statements coming from an organization which is responsible for training and organizing such a large number of young people is just unfortunate.
When the world is moving towards scientific temper and rational thinking based on equal rights and freedom of expression of all kinds, RSS is trying to cling to the ideals of the past which are at best, irrelevant in the times of today.
In an interview to The Telegraph, BJP President Rajnath Singh had earlier cleared the party’s stand, “We will state (at an all-party meeting if it is called) that we support Section 377 because we believe that homosexuality is an unnatural act and cannot be supported.”
Do we really want such leaders for ourselves? If the party president is so opposed to people having sex in their bedrooms on ‘moral’ grounds, then people following his footsteps can go even further to encroach upon freedom of an individual.
We all know the direction of ideas which flow between BJP and RSS. This public conviction to uphold some obscure religious values over individual freedom just to bag support of their vote bank and equally rigid Muslim leaders like M J Khan is not what we all think of when the word ‘change’ comes to our minds.