‘RSS chief has accepted we are Indian Muslims, not all born in India are Hindus’

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has accepted that Muslims born in India are ‘Indian Muslims’ – a significant change from his oft-repeated formulation that ‘all born in India are Hindus’ – said Najeeb Jung and S Y Quraishi, two of the five Muslim intellectuals who met the Sarsanghchalak over a week ago.

In an interview to Karan Thapar, they said that the RSS Sarsanghchalak has accepted that Muslim citizens of India are not to be called Hindu Muslims but Indian Muslims. Najeeb Jung said it was a significant change from what the Sarsanghchalak said in September 2021 when he said: “The word Hindu is equivalent to the rich heritage of our motherland, ancestors and culture and every Indian is a Hindu.”

Quraishi, former Chief Election Commissioner, also handed over his well-received book on India’s population, “The Population Myth.” He told Thapar in the interview that the RSS chief accepted that it’s both impossible for India’s Muslims to grow in size and dominate Hindus and that they do not seek to do so either. He added that it was significantly different to what the RSS chief had said in July 2021 that “organized attempts to increase the Muslim population since 1930 were being made to become a dominant force.”

Dr Jung, former Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia and a former Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, and S Y Quraishi, also revealed that later this week they would formally write to the Prime Minister to request a meeting with him. The same five people – S Y Quraishi, Najeeb Jung, Zameeruddin Shah, Shahid Siddiqui and Saeed Shervani – will meet the PM. Quraishi said if “somebody wants to join, he would welcome”.

Dr Jung said that if they get time to PM, their talk would be straight since the “Prime Minister is implementer.” They will raise issues with the Prime Minister in a “more blunt and focused manner because he’s the person who rules the country”. Whilst the two did not commit themselves to raising the Citizenship Amendment Act – nor did they rule out doing so – they seemed to make clear that they would raise the anti-Muslims rhetoric of BJP ministers and leaders i.e. “Babar ki Auad”, “Abba Jaan” and “Go to Pakistan”.

They, however, are of the view that it was less likely to see any reduction in anti-Muslim rhetoric given the 2024 general elections, still they believe the efforts could help calm down the temperature. – INDIA NEWS STREAM