News Delhi: At a time when the debate over Article 35A has divided regional parties in Jammu and Kashmir and the Centre, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Wednesday that the outfit does not accept Article 370 and 35A of Constitution.
Article 35A provides powers to the Jammu and Kashmir legislature to define ‘permanent residents’ of the state and bestow special rights and privileges on them. On August 31, the Supreme Court deferred hearing the petitions against Article 35-A to January after the Centre and the Jammu and Kashmir government argued that it could lead to a law and order situation in the state ahead of the coming panchayat and local body elections.
On inter-caste marriages
Asserting that the Sangh was not against inter-caste marriages, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Wednesday said such kind of marriages were most common among volunteers of the Hindutva outfit. Speaking on a wide range of issues on the last day of the RSS lecture series event in New Delhi, Bhagwat said inter-caste marriage was an issue of compatibility between a man and woman.
“If there is a census on inter-caste marriages, the maximum cases will be those from the Sangh,” Bhagwat said. The RSS chief also said that those residing in India are Hindu by identity and nationality. “All those who live in India are Hindu. They hesitate to say that. All people are our own. Our tradition is unity,” Bhagwat said, adding that acceptance of Hindutva was increasing in the world.
On same-sex relations
On the backdrop of the Supreme Court’s decision decriminalising same-sex relations between consenting adults, Bhagwat said the LGBTQ community should not be isolated as they were a part of society. “Times are changing and society has to take a call on such issues. But at the same time, gay rights is not the only pressing issue which should be debated,” he said.
On women safety
To a query on women safety and rising incidents of rape, he said there was a need to create an environment where women felt safe and secure. “Men have to learn to respect women,” the RSS chief claimed. Bhagwat also said that conversion by illegal and unfair means was wrong.
On cow vigilantism
While pitching for protection of cows, the RSS chief maintained that taking the law into one’s hands in the name of vigilantism was a crime. “We have to reject the double-speak as there is no talk of violence by cow smugglers. There should be stringent punishment in such cases,” he said. (IE)
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