Taking a strong exception to the Nagpur University’s move to include “the contribution of Rashtriya Swayam Sangh (RSS) in nation-building” as a topic in its syllabus for Bachelor of Arts (BA)-part-II, the Opposition Congress in Maharashtra on Tuesday asked the University to explain to the students as to how the RSS opposed the “Quit India” movement in 1942 and how it opposed the Constitution and national flag subsequently.
Demanding to know what the Sangh Parivar had got to do with “nation building”, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Ashok Chavan condemned the RSS’ act of “misusing” the field of education to propagate its ideology.
Alluding the Nagpur University’s to incorporate “the contribution of Rashtriya Swayam Sangh (RSS) in nation-building” as a topic in its syllabus for its second year BA course, Chavan said: “The RSS is the biggest divisive force in the country. The RSS has a dark history and it is essential we make students aware of its dark past. By colluding with the British, the RSS opposed the Indian freedom struggle. It discouraged its volunteers from taking part in the freedom struggle”.
“The RSS helped the British in sabotaging the ‘Quit India’ movement and it came to symbolise anti-India force. The RSS attached more importance to “Manu Smriti” than the country’s Constitution. The RSS considered national tri-colour as inauspicious and it did not unfurl the national flag for 52 long years after Independence,” Chavan alleged in a statement issued here.
Chavan also charged that while the country for very many years practised secularism, the RSS had been openly propagating the concept of “Hindu Rastra”. “If the Nagpur University really wants to impart knowledge about RSS, it should tell its students as to why the organisation came to be banned. This in fact should be made a part of the RSS topic that it has prescribed for BA (part-II) students. The RSS may misuse power to project itself in a good light, but it cannot sweep truth under the carpet,” the state Congress chief said.