A society which thrives on discrimination cannot endure, said Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday, calling for a
discrimination-free society predicated on truth, justice and equality. Mr. Bhagwat evoked Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of ‘Hind Swaraj’ and said the
Sangh stood for equality. He was addressing the huge RSS gathering at
Pimpri-Chinchwad here.More than 1.5 lakh Sangh activists from across 5,000 villages in Pune,
Nashik, Ahmednagar, Satara, Sangli, Solapur and Kolhapur districts in
western Maharashtra attended the event.The tone and tenor of the RSS chief’s address emphasised religious unity and extolled an egalitarian society.
“The bad deeds committed by strong nations are often overlooked, while
the good deeds by the weaker nations are often not accorded any value … a
nation’s prestige increases only by its strength. This is the way of
the world. But that strength must be calibrated by justice,” exhorted
the RSS chief, from a massive set resembling Shivaji’s Raigad Fort. The set was built by noted art director Nitin Desai. An eco-friendly
theme was stressed throughout the conclave, which is the RSS’ biggest
effort in recent times to reach out to all sections of society.
Mr. Bhagwat cited diversity of India’s culture and its religions as its
bedrock and said “all religions in the country preached truth and
non-violence.”Commenting that India could act as a cultural and moral beacon to the
world, the RSS chief said that “even if a society was materially
impoverished, but disciplined and resolute, it could achieve the
impossible.”
Cites Israel
In this context, the RSS chief referred to the birth of Israel in 1948
following 2000 years of continuous persecution endured by the Jewish
people since they became a Diaspora.According to political observers, the real agenda behind the RSS’ show
of strength was a bid to break the stranglehold of the sugar barons of
western Maharashtra and supplanting the influence of the Congress and
the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party in the region.Also present were Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Sarkaryawah
Suresh Joshi — a rare occasion when the latter shared stage with the RSS
chief.
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