RSS' 'liberalism'

Has sartorial change really influenced its mindset?

Fashion choices are a reflection of a society's outlook. For example, the widespread adoption of western wear in south-east Asia and China mirrors those countries' engagement with global supply chains and the inevitable social changes that accompany such shifts in economic policy. The decision by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to replace its trademark wide-bodied khaki shorts in favour of the relative sophistication of long brown trousers last weekend appears to have had a similar impact on this nonagenarian right-wing organisation's thought processes. The end of the "knickers era" - which earned members the derisive label of knicker-wala among detractors - coincided with two statements, about women and caste reservations, both so contrarian to conservative Hindutva thinking of which the RSS is the self-appointed defender as to deserve attention.

First, the RSS' annual report stated that the organisation favoured women's entry into temples, "without any discrimination". The statement even said men and women were equal partners in spiritual matters. On caste reservations, an RSS spokesman said it did not favour job quotas for prosperous castes, adding that instead, rich castes should help weaker ones. Some will read realpolitik into these ideological epiphanies beyond realpolitik, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) heading for forthcoming elections in four states and one Union Territory. They can be regarded as recognition of concern that the BJP needs to address its dwindling mainstream popularity, and the RSS' backward-looking dogma might have stood in its way. The serial controversies over the first year and a half of the National Democratic Alliance, of which the stunning loss in the Bihar Assembly polls was one rude awakening, underlined how far Hindutva ideology, as dictated by the RSS, is out of sync with modern times as well as the multiple ideas of India vested in its population.

The age-old issue of the ban on women's entry into the sanctum sanctorum of major Hindu temples, either fully or partially, has been the subject of heated public debate in recent months. Women across the political spectrum have been united in their demand that this antiquated practice had no place in modern India. Given that women have been a strong support base for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and form about half the electorate, a change of thinking was overdue - though how far temples will acquiesce to the new RSS line is an open question. The statement on caste, a nuanced reversal of the body's long-held and unequivocal opposition to reservations, follows a controversial statement from RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on quotas before the Bihar elections that was considered to have contributed to the BJP's poor showing. The backdrop of unpopular agitations by patently prosperous Patel and Jat communities in Gujarat and Haryana, respectively, is also relevant. It is an open question whether this new, improved outlook, though undoubtedly welcome, is a sign of deep-rooted progress in ideological thinking.