Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar appeared to defend RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s comment which has triggered a major controversy in political circles.
On the last day of his six-day visit of Muzaffarpur in Bihar on Sunday, 11 February, the RSS chief had said that the RSS can prepare an army within three days, something that the Army will take 6-7 months.
As Congress leaders, including party president Rahul Gandhi, and other Opposition leaders began criticising Bhagwat for the remark, Nitish Kumar on Monday, 12 February, said that it is not wrong for a civil organisation to talk about defending the nation’s borders.
Addressing the media in Patna, the Janata Dal (United) chief said that Bhagwat appears to have spoken about the readiness of the members of his organisation to fight for the country.
“I don’t think there is any harm in that,” Kumar said claiming that he didn’t know about the entire matter.
“Ours is not a military organisation. But we are as disciplined as a military. If the nation requires it and if the Constitution allows, then to prepare an army would take 6-7 months but people from Sangh can be mobilized in three days. But we are not a military organisation but a family organisation,” he is heard saying in a video which went viral.
Translating what Mohan Bhagwat’ji actually said:
“Ours is not a Military Organization
But we’re disciplined like the Military
If the Nation needs it & if permitted by law
Then to mobilize additional army may take 6-7 months
But people from the Sangh can be mobilized in 3-days” pic.twitter.com/RJqvsqLe2P— KaushikMukherjee🇮🇳 (@kush07) February 12, 2018
The Congress and the Left parties demanded an apology from Bhagwat for the “insulting” remarks against the Indian Army.
The RSS said that its chief never compared the army with his organisation and Bhagwat’s words have been misconstrued.
“This was no way a comparison between the Indian Army and the Sangh swayamsevaks but it was a comparison between general society and swayamsevaks. Both are to be trained by the Indian Army only,” RSS spokesperson Manmohan Vaidya said.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi tweeted: “The RSS Chief’s speech is an insult to every Indian, because it disrespects those who have died for our nation. It is an insult to our flag because it insults every soldier who ever saluted it. Shame on you Mr Bhagwat, for disrespecting our martyrs and our Army.”
The RSS Chief’s speech is an insult to every Indian, because it disrespects those who have died for our nation.
It is an insult to our flag because it insults every soldier who ever saluted it.
Shame on you Mr Bhagwat, for disrespecting our martyrs and our Army. #ApologiseRSS pic.twitter.com/Gh7t4Ghgon
— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) February 12, 2018
“”His statement exposes the RSS’s hidden agenda to float parallel militias to wreak havoc and crush national unity. The RSS wants to turn India into Mussolini’s Italy and Hitler’s Germany. The parallel army he is talking about is what we have always warned against: Hindu Terror. Running down the army amounts to treason,” Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote on Facebook.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, too, attacked the RSS chief. “Let us not compare a bunch of young people with bamboo sticks and khaki shorts to the Army,” he said.