It was 1985 in Punjab, a politically charged State where nothing seemed to be going right. The last one year in particular had been terrible with the Army charging into the Golden Temple, Indira Gandhi being assassinated and the anti-Sikh riots echoing through time. The mood was clearly against the Congress. Despite this, the new Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, signed with Harcharan Singh Longowal the Punjab Accord that would largely bring peace and economic stability in Punjab. Today, the Congress is in power in Punjab.
Engage different viewpoints
It is this ethos of engaging with everyone, even with those whom we vehemently disagree with, that has ensured the survival of the Congress and India through testing times. The Congress has always nurtured religious, economic and social inclusivity within the organisation. The party’s culture encourages different viewpoints. On several occasions, Congress president Rahul Gandhi has reiterated that we should engage and learn from every part of society. It thus comes as a mild shock to hear liberals in general and Congresspersons (including some of those who want India to engage with Pakistan) in particular opposing former President Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters.
The RSS is an organisation one may like or hate, but cannot ignore in India. Like many citizens of India, as a Congressman, I too believe that the RSS is a pseudo-Hindu organisation which neither represents the aspirations of real Hindus nor reflects India’s heterogeneous culture. In spite of our significant disagreement and fight with RSS ideology, we need to understand that we cannot ignore an organisation where millions of people work selflessly for what they believe is right. One of the biggest points of contention is the RSS’s belief that India should be a Hindu Rashtra. With many moderate voices refusing to engage with the RSS, we are only strengthening these values that are detrimental to a united India.
Ironically, it was Jawaharlal Nehru — now being vilified by the BJP and its trolls — who removed the ban on the RSS which was imposed by Sardar Patel. Despite his fundamental differences with the RSS, Nehru understood that in a democracy one should include everyone, even fringe elements.
As a politician, I regularly encounter people who are severely critical of the Congress and/or are avid BJP supporters — both online and offline. Talking to them and trying to understand their side of the story often means that they are at least willing to listen to my point of view. When a State leader, Thol. Thirumavalavan, did not invite the Congress to condemn an incident of violence against Dalits in Dharmapuri a few years ago because they gathered under the umbrella of “Tamil Desiyam” (Tamil nationalism), I remember personally reaching out to him. He invited us and gave us an opportunity to address the gathering.
Going back to the roots
The Congress has always been the flag bearer of inclusivity, more so during the freedom movement. We had amongst us tall leaders like Rajaji and Rajendra Prasad who believed in conservative values even when the Congress was moving towards socialism under Nehru and Netaji. However, we failed to communicate this effectively to the masses and are trying to convey this message again.
The RSS and BJP in recent years have capitalised on sentiments that the Congress’s secularism is anti- Hindu. A committee within our party under the chairmanship of A.K. Antony has acknowledged that this misperception exists and continues to be spread. The Congress needs to go back to its roots and follow Mahatma Gandhi. He started all his public meetings with readings of passages from Bhagavad Gita, Bible and Quran. We need to fight the misinformation campaign of the RSS, clearly showing in words and deeds that secular does not mean anti-religion but religious harmony.
We should not only restrain ourselves from opposing Mr. Mukherjee's visit to Nagpur, but also encourage more such attempts to ideologically combat our opponents head-on in their den.
The RSS often talks about ghar-wapsi (reconversion). A confident and resurgent Congress should engage with the brainwashed, misguided Hindutva youth and convert them back to real Hindus who will continue to be accepting of diverse backgrounds and ideas for years to come.
Americai V. Narayanan is a Tamil Nadu Congress Committee spokesperson. Twitter handle: @americai
