RSS continues to be a violent, obscurantist organisation: CPI(M)

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Wednesday alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) continues to be a violent and obscurantist organisation opposed to the tenets of the Constitution.

Reacting to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's comment saying "Hindu Rashtra doesn't mean there's no place for Muslims, Hindutva is Indianess and inclusiveness", the party said the "RSS is dedicated to establishing a Manuwadi Hindu Rastra".

"RSS continues to be a violent, obscurantist, regressive organization opposed to the tenets of our constitution & dedicated to establishing a Manuwadi Hindu Rastra. They are besotted to Violence from Gandhi's assassination to current epidemic of Lynchings in the name of GauRaksha!", the CPI(M) tweeted.

Bhagwat, on the second day of the "Bhavishya Ka Bharat-an RSS Perspective" event at the Vigyan Bhavan, had said "Hindutva" was an inclusive concept and did not exclude Muslims, and maintained that his organisation embraced the Constitution, and respected the "socialist, secular" parts of its Preamble.

The Communist party said the media was hailing Bhagwat's statement as "softening", and asserted that "it is no such thing".

"He is merely reiterating RSS's long held position that asserts India to be a Hindu Rastra and not a secular nation as stated by the Constitution and envisioned by our freedom movement," the party said.

The RSS chief's recent lectures on 'Bhavishya Ka Bharat-an RSS Perspective' drew criticisms from many quarters, including the Left parties.

The RSS in the recent past undertook several initiatives to improve its image, including inviting former President Pranab Mukherjee to deliver a lecture at the Nagpur headquarters of the saffron organisation.

The RSS also plans to hold a series of lectures in the capital by December with some top political faces of the country, who were earlier known as staunch RSS critics.