THE Sangh Parivar is forever blaming Indian Muslims for Partition, and accusing them of lack of patriotism. They demand that mosques display the national flag, to prove their nationalism, and that whoever wished to live in India, must sing Vande Mataram or say Bharat Mata ki Jai. But what is their own track record of respect for national unity and national symbols?

 

On Two-Nation Theory

Dr Ambedkar correctly identified that Savarkar and Jinnah had the same position on the two-nation theory. In ‘Thoughts on Pakistan’, Ambedkar wrote, “…strange as it may seem, Mr. Savarkar and Mr. Jinnah instead of being opposed to each other on the two nations issue, are in complete agreement about it…Mr. Savarkar wants the Hindu nation to be the dominant nation and the Muslim nation to be the subservient nation under it.”

Savarkar proved himself as a firm advocate of the two-nation theory in his presidential address to the Hindu Mahasabha in December 1939, where he declared:

  • “We Hindus are a nation by ourselves ... we Hindus are marked out as an abiding Nation by ourselves’’ (see Indian Annual Register, 1939, Vol II).

  • Again later he reiterated, “I have no quarrel with Mr Jinnah’s two-nation theory. We, Hindus, are a nation by ourselves and it is a historical fact that Hindus and Muslims are two nations” (Indian Annual Register, 1943, Vol II).

What About Vande Mataram? We challenge the RSS to show us a single document of the RSS prior to 15 August, 1947, in which the words ‘Vande Mataram’ are even mentioned. The fact is that as long as this song had any association with the Indian freedom struggle against the British, the RSS had no use for it. Post-independence, they value this song only for its communal associations and divisive potential, since the song was originally part of the novel Anandamath, which had antiMuslim overtones.

 

The RSS Hated The Tricolour Flag

Today, the RSS and BJP carry the tricolour in their hand while carrying out violence. But what did the RSS say about the national tricolour, on the eve of India’s Independence?

  • “The word three is in itself an evil and a flag having three colours will certainly produce a very bad psychological effect and is injurious to a country.”

(RSS mouthpiece Organiser on the eve of India's independence, August 14, 1947)

  • “It (the tricolour) can never be recognised as the National Flag of Hindusthan ... the authoritative flag of Hindusthan our Motherland and Holyland, ... can be no other than the Bhagava (saffron flag)... Hindudom at any rate can loyally salute no other Flag but this Pan-Hindu Dhwaja, this Bhagava Flag as its national Standard.”

(Savarkar, reacting to the decision to adopt the tricolour flag as the Indian flag,
quoted in A G Noorani, 'A National Hero?', Frontline, Oct. 23 - Nov. 05, 2004)

  • RSS hoisted the tricolour on Republic Day at its Nagpur office for the first time, 52 years after independence -http:// timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Tri-colour-hoisted-atRSS-HQ-after-52-yrs/articleshow/1561733136.cms

  • Even today, the ‘Bharat Mata’ in RSS offices and on its website, does not carry the tricolour, but only the saffron flag!