A big controversy erupted over Former President Pranab Mukherjee attending the passing out parade of the new recruits of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) amid calls from his Congress party urging him to reconsider the decision. However, in all the panic that followed, the Congress failed to see the irony in the situation.
By inviting a former President and that too a Congress leader, the RSS gained much publicity as well as a subtle legitimacy of being open to other ideologies. The Sangh as they are popularly known, have been active since per-independence India. The Congress and the RSS have often stood at the opposite end of the pole on various issues and by inviting someone from the rival camp, the Sangh tried to portray itself to be tolerant of the other’s view.
This very well counters Congress’ claim that the RSS is intolerant towards the views of others. Instead of encouraging Mukherjee to attend the event and preach the message that he espoused throughout his political career, the Congress leaders expressed disappointment.
The point they completely missed was that Mukherjee was invited to the event in his capacity as the former President and not as a member of the Congress party. As a former head of the nation, he is supposed to act in an unbiased manner and is free to attend events, irrespective of which sections or groups hold them.
By showing displeasure over Mukherjee’s decision, the Congress leaders showed little confidence in their senior partyman. On the other hand, the RSS, by not only inviting, but also praising the former President’s speech have shown that as an organisation they are willing to accept the point of view of those that differ from them, even if they may not necessarily agree with them.
Under these circumstances, the RSS managed to gain not only wide publicity for its event, but also gained some positive limelight for itself. And while the Sangh gained, the Congress was left stumped without a good counter strategy.
Skirting any political connotations, Mukherjee smartly used historical examples to point out that India has always been universally accepting and amalgamating all the elements that have been introduced to the country. In fact these are the very examples which are often used by the RSS to make their point. By presenting a different perspective on the same examples, the former President has struck to the heart of Sangh’s perspective.
A quote from Evelyn Beatrice Hall’s book ‘The Friends of Voltaire’ comes to mind, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” What the RSS has done has come close to practicing this quote even as the Congress were caught unawares without an effective response. Instead of taking it into their stride, they vehemently opposed it embarrassing one of its very own iconic leaders of the past.
