Guwahati/Nagpur: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) held one of its largest congregations at the Khanapara Veterinary College field here on Sunday, with 50,000 people turning up to attend Mohan Bhagwat‘s address.
Bhagwat said India had stopped considering Pakistan an enemy, but Pakistan had failed to do the same in its approach towards India. “Mohenjodaro and Harappa civilizations are now in Pakistan. They are part of Bharat, which Pakistan does not want to acknowledge. Pakistan is a separate country because it did not want to accept Hindutva,” Bhagwat said.
Extending the same logic to Bangladesh, he added, “Why is Bangladesh a separate country even though its people speak Bangla? It is because the country does not want to associate with Hindutva.” According to Bhagwat, it is Hindutva that has “united India despite diversity of language, religion, lifestyle and custom”. He added, “Hindutva accepts diversity, not divisions. That is why India is a Hindu rashtra.”
The meeting was organised by the North Assam Zone, which covers Assam’s Brahmaputra Valley, Nagaland and Meghalaya. Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal and ministers from the state and tribal kings attended the congregation. The RSS chief said the congregation was not a show of strength but an attempt to make people see that “the essence of India is Hindutva”. He added, “India needs to be strong not to capture new lands, but to win the hearts of people.”
While there was no explicit reference to the upcoming elections in three northeastern states – Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura – BJP has stepped up its activities in the poll-bound states and held meetings with leaders of different faiths.
