“Hindu resurgence in Kerala” – RSS Kerala Prantha Pracharak

KOCHI: Over the years, Hindu organizations in Kerala have achieved commendable results in terms of public support and organizing various sections of an otherwise divided Hindu society. Responding to queries from HK correspondent at Kochi, RSS Kerala Prantha Pracharak, A. Gopalakrishnan, said that his organization’s work over the last few decades has yielded excellent results in Kerala. “The Sangh has, to a great extent, succeeded in unifying Hindus belonging to various castes and sub-castes. The history of violence against Hindus in Kerala dates back to the days of Tipu Sultan’s attack. If one goes through the history of political violence in Kerala, the actual incidents of assaults against Sangh swayamsevaks have come down significantly. The history of repressing the Sangh throughout Kerala has somewhat dwindled over the years and extreme resistance to Sangh’s activities has been now restricted to certain pockets in Kannur districts. According to Shri. Gopalakrishnan many of the murders are getting painted as political murders due to inaccurate reporting by media.

Shri. Gopalakrishnan recalled how the RSS had to face violence from various parts of the state during the olden days. Compared to those days, the Sangh has got a level playing field for its daily activities in the state. An exceptionally dark and violent chapter in attacks against the Hindus has been the Marad carnage wherein eight poor Hindus were killed. The rise of Islamic fundamentalism during the last few years have been an eye-opener for the average Keralite who have for generations basked in the false belief that their state is famous for peace and communal harmony. This dangerous growth of Jihadi outfits in the state led to many political murders and the latest victim has been Prof. T.J. Joseph of Thoduphuzha Newman’s College, whose hand was cut off in broad daylight. The ensuing days saw the Christian community shifting to back foot and adopting a subdued response. It is noteworthy that it was the Hindu organizations that came to the forefront to boost the confidence of general public at Todupuzha by organizing various public programmes.

“Of late the Hindus have learnt their lessons from History as well,” Shri Gopalakrishnan opined. From the standpoint of a helpless victim, the modern Hindu has transformed himself into a very realistic role as far as religious conversions are concerned. The present day Hindu youth would not tolerate deceptive proselytizing tactics by Christian missionaries. Hindus who traditionally used to sell off their lands at cheap prices have begun to understand their historic mistakes. Many of them even regret their past blunders and the new generation Hindu is very cautious against such misdeeds. These attitudes have been formulated mainly from the ideological inspiration from the Sangh.

A raging debate in India these days is about Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s utterances against the RSS. The Gandhi family scion’s views about the Sangh have by now been rubbished by millions of Hindus across the globe. In fact, the Hindus, in general, are really annoyed by comparison of the RSS with a deadly terrorist organization like the Lashkar-e-Toyiba. If one were to go through the readers’ or viewers’ response in print or electronic media, one would be convinced of the anguish of millions of Hindus against Rahul Gandhi’s comments. According to Shri Gopalakrishnan, the RSS has withstood decades of malicious slander campaign by the Congress at an all India level. Rahul Gandhi’s great grandfather, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, himself had been a vociferous critic of the Sangh. In the immediate years after India’s independence, the Congress did not miss even a single opportunity to malign the Sangh. The worst slanderous allegation was attributing the Mahatma Gandhi assassination plot to RSS. But the people of India did not believe the Congress designs. After Nehru, it was the turn of his daughter Indira Gandhi to oppress the Sangh. The darkest chapter of Indian democracy, the emergency, was used by Mrs. Gandhi to repress the RSS. However, the Sangh went through the troublesome period with remarkable resilience and in a way that is source of inspiration for many generations of patriotic Indians. Considering the magnitude of challenges undertaken by the Sangh in the years that went by, the present day allegations posed by the grandson of Nehru even don’t deserve a serious response from an organization that is more concerned with deeds than words.

Shri. Gopalakrishnan concluded on a confident note assuring that the diabolic designs of terrorists and anti-national elements would not be allowed to go unchecked in Kerala and the Hindus in Kerala can look forward to a better tomorrow in view of the overall Hindu renaissance and nationalistic feelings among the general public in Kerala. He, however, noted that the various sections of the Hindu society need to consolidate further to become a remarkable force.

Responses