DNA Edit: Caught out – RSS chief’s overtures seem to have wrong-footed Rahul

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s recent statement that if “Muslims are unwanted, there is no concept of Hindutva” will further dent the ability of the Opposition to portray the BJP and RSS as “anti-Muslim”. Earlier, Bhagwat’s successful bid to get former President Pranab Mukherjee to lecture at RSS headquarters, never mind that Mukherjee used this opportunity to attack the Sangh’s ideology, and his invitation to Congress president Rahul Gandhi for a lecture series has to an extent nullified the Congress president’s statements against the Sangh. Rahul’s statements that the Sangh was the equivalent of the Egyptian militant outfit, the Muslim Brotherhood, seems to have fallen flat after this. Rahul’s problem comes from the fact that he does not know what to do Bhagwat’s invitation. If he accepts and attacks the RSS it will be seen as “normalisation” and the “large-heartedness” of the Sangh. If he refuses, as he seems to be doing now, he runs the risk of being seen as churlish and afraid of a debate. 

The question also arises that if Mukherjee, a faithful member of the Congress party, can accept Bhagwat’s invitation, why can’t he? This is a question for which he has no good answer, and Rahul is possibly hoping that with his verbal attacks will be forgotten. The problem for Rahul is that it won’t be forgotten. In today’s world filled with 24-hour news about the latest hate-filled comment by a politician, people are likely to remember an act of positivity. They are also especially likely to remember a person’s bid to bridge the divide, a gesture that is almost non-existent in today’s politics. Rahul needs to figure out a positive response to Bhagwat’s statements. Otherwise, ironically, he runs the risk of looking unaccommodating and intolerant. That is something that Bhagwat and Prime Minister Modi must be counting on.