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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  RSS backs talks with Pakistan
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RSS backs talks with Pakistan

The stand of the RSS endorses Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts to reach out to neighbouring countries

RSS joint general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale addresses the media on Friday after a three-day coordination meeting of all affiliated organizations, including the BJP. Photo: Ramesh Pathania/MintPremium
RSS joint general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale addresses the media on Friday after a three-day coordination meeting of all affiliated organizations, including the BJP. Photo: Ramesh Pathania/Mint

New Delhi: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Friday provided political cover to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to negotiate with Pakistan, saying India should look to improve relations with Saarc (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) nations.

At the end of a three-day coordination meeting of all affiliated organizations, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the RSS said the government was “working in the right direction", but a lot more work still needs to be done.

“India is part of Saarc and has family-like cultural relations with neighbouring countries, whether it is Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan or Bangladesh. It was one body which was divided to form Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is natural that people living there are part of the same family," Dattatreya Hosabale, joint general secretary of the RSS, told reporters on Friday.

“Sometimes relations (go bad), like it happens between brothers and so we also discussed how we can improve our relations with those who are historically and geographically attached to us," he added.

This was the first such coordination meeting in the past year between BJP leaders and members of the RSS, its ideological parent.

A similar meeting was organized in Ludhiana, Punjab, last year.

India and Pakistan were to hold talks between their national security advisors (NSAs) last month, which Pakistan called off over its insistence that Kashmir be included in the agenda. The talks were to focus only on terrorism.

Pakistan also insisted that its NSA Sartaj Aziz would consult Kashmiri separatists before his talks with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval, which India opposed.

In reply to a question on whether India should continue attempting to have good relations with Pakistan even in the face of continued attacks on the border, Hosabale said: “Even Kauravas and Pandavas were brothers. One has to do everything (for better relations)."

The stand of the RSS endorses Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to reach out to neighbouring countries.

“Yes, the RSS has endorsed the Prime Minister’s effort to reach out to all neighbours including Pakistan," said Kanwal Sibal, former foreign secretary. “I would think the statement is intended to be reconciliatory and dialogue-oriented."

The RSS on Friday also debunked allegations that it was a “review meeting" of the government and insisted that it was “not an illegal organization" and the meeting was only a platform to discuss issues.

“We are not upset about anything. Fourteen months have passed, there is more time left and a lot of work to be done. The direction is good, achievements are good and they will go ahead. One cannot have 100% satisfaction with everything, but all that has happened...the direction is right, the dedication is right, commitment is right and with that point of view we are saying that this government will go ahead. This is our input, but not our review," Hosabale clarified.

According to the RSS, “raising people’s expectations" is this government’s single biggest achievement in 14 months.

The three-day meeting of the RSS was attended by PM Modi on the concluding day. Several of his cabinet colleagues, including finance minister Arun Jaitley, foreign minister Sushma Swaraj, home minister Rajnath Singh, defence minister Manohar Parrikar and parliamentary affairs minister Venkaiah Naidu, attended sessions over the three days.

Some of the key issues discussed in the course of the meeting included internal and external security, education, uplift of villages, access to services, environmental issues, religion-based census and the one rank one pension issue of ex-servicemen on which BJP president Amit Shah assured that action would be taken soon.

“We also discussed issues faced by the weaker sections of society, the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and labourers," Hosabale said.

The Congress has attacked the BJP for its so-called review meeting with the RSS.

“The country’s ministers were all seen kneeling down in front of the RSS. They have shown that the RSS is the supreme government of the country," said Shaktisinh Gohil, national spokesperson of the Congress.

Elizabeth Roche and Pretika Khanna contributed to this story.

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Published: 05 Sep 2015, 12:11 AM IST
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