Frontline
November 1998
Saffronwatch

RSS unhappy with Nobel for Amartya
While India basks in the glory of the Nobel Prize being awarded to Amartya Sen, the country’s self–appointed moral police, the RSS, has both belittled the Nobel Award itself and attacked Sen. The reason no doubt has to do with the distinguished economist’s uncompromising stand on secularism. The lead editorial in the RSS mouthpiece, Panchajanya, says, "If one leaves aside economics, Sen’s views on other subjects can be cause for anxiety for any true votary of Hindutva". The shock and protest expressed by Sen along with another Nobel laureate, Chandra-shekhar Subramaniam, on the Babri Masjid demolition are well known. Citing another instance of Sen’s alleged anti–Hindu bias, Panchajanya refers to an interview of the Nobel laureate with journalist Prem Shankar Jha, during which he was quoted as saying that Indian culture had strong Islamic influences and that the Bengali calendar used by Bengali Hindus is based on the Islamic calendar.

US and Jap diplomats grace Sangh headquarters
Two high–level officials attached to the US and Japanese embassies graced the RSS headquarters at Nagpur on the occasion of the annual Vijayadashami (Dussera) celebrations. In a move that without question grants legitimacy to the RSS, the visit by first secretary, US embassy, Paul Mailhot and political counsellor to the Japanese embassy, Yoshifumi Okamura, according to sangh sources, was to meet the RSS top brass in a bid to understand the functioning of the organisation.

Madan Lal, the RSS ideologue who spoke to the media after the exchanges in which he was present said, "We had a talk on the clash of civilisations and they were interested in our views on swadeshi. We said that we welcomed only appropriate technology."

Selling the Swadeshi brand
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has launched the Centre for Bharatiya Marketing Development (CBMD) in a bid to make an organised entry into the world of business. Its first major public display will be the Swadeshi Mela to be held on January 26, 1999 at the Pragati Maidan. The CBMD, according to P. Muralidhar Rao, the national organiser of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, will take its operations far beyond the Mela. "It will create powerful forces in different sectors of the economy to protect the interests of village, small–scale and cottage industries and various occupations," said Rao. "Through this initiative, the SJM wants to position itself so that it can give directions to trade and industry," he added.

UP govt. slaps fine on ‘Rajju Bhaiyya
The district magistrate, Allahabad, has slapped a fine of Rs. 7.62 lakhs on RSS chief, Rajendra Singh for "illegal construction and violation of a lease agreement" related to property at 37, Tashkand road, Allahabad. The DM, Aloke Tandon, passed this order on October 6, 1998, pointing out that the house was nazul property (state property) allotted to Rajju Bhaiyya; the lease on the property expired 40 years ago but Rajendra Singh not only went in for illegal construction but had also rented it out in gross violation of th norms of the lease agreement.

BJP insiders attribute the episode to a "deep–rooted conspiracy" between those owing allegiance to chief minister Kalyan Singh and the state party chief, Rajnath Singh.

BJP ministers not to raise funds for party?
BJP chief Kushabhau Thakre has recently declared his party intends to direct its ministers not to collect any monies or funds for the organisation. In an interview to The Times of India, Thakre said the BJP is concerned about the misuse of power and privilege by politicians in power and the image of the BJP if it continues to function in established ways.

DD to broadcast RSS functions
The government plans to give a boost to the Rashtriya Swayam-sevak Sangh (RSS) by publicising its activities through Doordar-shan’s monopoly network. The move is in tune with what the Union minister of state for information and broadcasting, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has described as an attempt to clear ‘misconceptions’ that the RSS is a ‘communal and ultra right wing force.’

The minister has often reiterated in the past weeks that anti-RSS propaganda could only be countered if the organisation and its philosophy were given proper coverage on Doordarshan. He also wants the propagation of Hindutva to clear misconceptions about its ‘religious overtones.’ Naqvi says he wants DD to project the ‘correct picture’ of national culture and the concept of Hindutva which was being given "religious overtones by those who want to mislead the people."


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