Statements made at Dharma Sansad do not represent Hindutva: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday said that the alleged derogatory statements made at the Dharam Sansad events do not represent a Hindu ideology.

Expressing disappointment over what was said in the Dharam Sansad events, Bhagwat said, "Whatever came out in the Dharam Sansad events were not Hindu words, a Hindu deed or a Hindu mind."

The RSS chief's remarks came while he was addressing the 'Hinduism and National Integration' lecture organized on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of a newspaper in Nagpur.

Bhagwat said, "Hindutva is not an 'ism', the English translation of Hindutva is Hinduness. It was first mentioned by Guru Nanak Dev, It is not mentioned in Ramayana, Mahabharata, Hindu does not mean a confined thing, it is dynamic that constantly changes with experience."

He further said that the statements made in view of personal gains or enmity do not represent Hindutva. "RSS or those who actually follow Hindutva do not believe in this misplaced meaning of it. Balance, conscience, affinity towards all is what represents Hindutva," he stated.

Notably, Dharam Sansad events in Haridwar and Delhi sparked controversy due to alleged inflammatory speeches delivered by the religious leaders. The hate speeches, allegedly inciting violence against the minority community, were delivered between December 17 and 19, 2021, in Haridwar by Yati Narsinghanand and in Delhi by 'Hindu Yuva Vahini'.

Another such event held at Raipur in Chhattisgarh on December 26 also kicked up a row when Hindu religious leader Kalicharan Maharaj allegedly made derogatory remarks against Mahatma Gandhi and provocative statements against minorities.