Unemployment a major concern: Mohan Bhagwat

Amid Modi government facing criticism over faltering growth post demonetization and GST, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday strongly batted for evolving India-specific economic policies and models of development which will protect the small business and informal sector from tremors.

"While reforming and cleaning the economic systems, although some tremors and instability are expected, it should be kept in mind that small, medium and handicraft industries, retail or small self-employed businesses, the co-operative sector, and agro and agro-allied sectors should feel the minimum heat and ultimately they should get the maximum strength," he said at the annual rally on Vijayadashmi (Dussera) at Nagpur. BJP veteran LK Advani and Union minister Nitin Gadkari were also present on the occasion.

While Bhagwat showered praise on the government for taking a number of policy initiatives to weed out corruption and boost economic development, he sharply criticized their global economic policies, terming them 'faulty, artificial' and that which cause of erosion of 'morality, environment and employment'.

Bhagwat also advised that Niti Ayog and economic advisers of the states will have to come out of the same old economic 'isms', and will have to integrate the most up-to-date economic experiences with the ground reality of our nation.

He advocated that the benefits of government policies should reach especially to the deprived sections of the society such as Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Nomadic Tribes.

Pushing the Swadeshi agenda, Bhagwat said, "This process will have to systematically consider the national ideals, traditions, needs and resources together. People will also have to relentlessly insist on buying Swadeshi products while fulfilling their daily needs and doing other purchases."

At a time when the government is facing questions on the employment generation front, Bhagwat suggested that employment generation should replace GDP as key development indicator.

"Despite being faulty, the parameter of Gross Domestic Product is still used to measure the health and progress of economy. Employment, that is work for every hand and enough remuneration for sustainable livelihood, is a major consideration for us," he said.

About gaurakshaks

Lending his strong support to gaurakshaks (cow vigilante), Bhagwat said that they worked well within the legal framework and it would be unfair to link them with violence or "communal feelings without knowing or [while] neglecting the facts". He added that gaurakshaks were working 'piously' for a cause and there was a "nefarious campaign going on against the cow-protection (to) unnecessarily create tension".

Bhagwat also said that gaurakshaks "should not worry or get distracted by the well-intentioned statements made by highly-placed persons in the government or remarks made by the Supreme Court".

Since June 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has castigated those engaging in violence in the name of gauraksha umpteen number of times.

On Rohingya and Infitration

Strongly backing the government's stand on the issue, Bhagwat said that the Rohingya are being driven out of Myanmar mainly due to their continuous violent and criminal separatist activities and linkages with terrorist groups.

"We have been facing the problem of illegal Bangladeshi migrants and now Rohingya have infiltrated into our country. Any decision regarding Rohingya should be taken by keeping in mind the threat to national security and integrity," Bhagwat said, referring to the people who have fled from violence-hit Rakhine state in Myanmar.

The RSS chief also hit out at the governments of West Bengal and Kerala, who he said, are "lending a helping hand to the anti-national forces for petty political interests".

The Centre maintains that Rohingya living in India are not refugees but illegal immigrants from Myanmar, and that objections to deport them are baseless.

Doklam and J&K

Bhagwat also praised the government's handling of the Doklam issue with China and terrorist infiltration across the border.

"In response to the activities of Pakistan on the Western front and that of China on the Northern front, Bharat's strong and determined stand has been visible in incidents such Doklam, on the borders, as well as in international diplomacy. This definitely makes us realise our strength, and at the same time, provides new international standing to Bharat," he said.

"The provocative actions and propaganda of the separatists have been effectively controlled by curbing their illegal financial sources and exposing their linkages with anti-national terrorist forces. The positive effects of this strategy are visible on the ground," he said.