Hindu terror talk done to appease Muslims: RSS chief

There is no such thing as ‘saffron terrorism’ and it is an invention of the Congress-led UPA government to appease Muslims, said Mohanrao Bhagwat, chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), at its annual Vijayadashmi rally in Nagpur, at the Reshimbagh grounds.

“A handful of Hindus were arrested in some framed-up cases and the whole Hindu community is being tarnished to appease the minority,” was Bhagwat’s dismissal of the cases where police have charged Hindu bodies with planning bomb blasts.

Nitin Gadkari, national head of the Bharatiya Janata Party, attended the rally, dressed in the RSS uniform of khaki shorts, white shirt and black cap. He spent three hours there. Hridayanath Mangeshkar, brother of playback singer Lata Mangeshkar, was a guest of honour.

On Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi equating the RSS with the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), Bhagwat said the RSS needed no certificate. it would, he said, continue its activity of uniting people with nationalist fervour.

He said the Ayodhya verdict of the Allahabad high court, that came just before Dussehra, was an auspicious sign. It is an opportunity provided to every citizen, including Muslims, to make a new beginning for affectionate co-existence. The court, said the RSS chief, had endorsed the Hindu belief that Ayodhya was the birthplace of Rama and a temple should be built there. The agitation in support of construction of a Ram temple there was not against any particular religion, he said.

Bhagwat alleged the central government should have no negotiations with insurgents in Kashmir or their supporters.