NEW DELHI: All India Imam Association president Maulana Sajid Rashidi on Monday criticised RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s remarks on India being a Hindu Rashtra, saying the idea went against the Constitution and the country’s democratic character. Responding to Bhagwat’s statement that India is a Hindu Rashtra and that the Constitution’s preamble reflects this., Rashidi said, “…He does not know that a Hindu rashtra can only be a slogan. Those who are singing the praises of the Hindu nation want to crush the constitution. India is not of one religion but of 140 crore residents. If there is a Hindu kingdom, then the constitution of India will die. We see that all the Islamic countries, where the principles of the Quran are followed, are not democratic countries. It has become a religious country..” Reacting to Bhagwat’s view that the culture of the majority should be respected and not opposed, Rashidi questioned how can Hindus who are in majority be threatened terming the assertion “laughable.” “In Dubai there are 8 per cent Hindu, 5 per cent Hindu in Oman, 15 per cent in Saudi Arabia they are all safe. Here you’ve 80 per cent Hindus; majority and they are not safe? It is laughable, and you’re saying that in a country where from PM to peon is a Hindu. All the judges are Hindu, IAS, IPS are Hindu and still the 80 per cent Hindus are in danger,” he added. He alleged that fanning insecurity among the majority community was politically motivated and purely oriented for vote bank politics. “Telling Hindus that they are in danger is just the politics of the vote bank, it has nothing to do with the constitution,” he said, adding, “I believe that RSS is a big organisation. Its leaders should talk very thoughtfully. The contradictions in his remarks are glaring,” he said. Rashidi further also referred to Bhagwat’s earlier comments acknowledging the historical and continuing presence of Muslims in India, and then contradicting them saying, he is the chief of a big organisation like RSS he should make comments after thorough thinking. “On one hand he says there is no India without Muslims. Muslims were always there, are and will always be, then he says everybody living here is a Hindu, they don’t consider them Muslims …”Warning of constitutional consequences, if India were to be a Hindu rastra he said, “The day this country becomes a Hindu rashtra, that day the constitution will be over, then Manusmriti will be implemented and then whatever is told in it will happen with Dalits and other religions …”Earlier on Sunday Mohan Bhagwat speaking at Kolkata Vyakhyanmala, a session to celebrate the centenary of RSS, said seeing RSS through the lens of BJP is a big mistake. He further added, “There are people who spread wrong narratives about the Sangh. Interpretation of the Sangh should be objective and not through secondary sources. The goal of the Sangh is organisation of the entire Hindu society, but it is not aimed at opposing others…If you see that Sangh is anti-Muslim, you can make (that) your opinion. But change your opinion if you don’t find that.”
