'Discrimination, Inequality Persists...': RSS Chief Bhagwat Backs Reservations, Says Akhand Bharat Is A Matter of Time

Nagpur: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Wednesday that discrimination exists in our society and that reservations should continue as long as it persists. He was speaking at an event in Nagpur, where he also claimed that the dream of Akhand Bharat or united India will come true before the current generation grows old, as those who parted ways with India in 1947 now regret their decision. Bhagwat said that we have oppressed some sections of our society for 2000 years and did not treat them as equals.

"Until we give them equality, some special measures have to be there, and reservations is one of them. Hence, reservations have to continue till there is such discrimination. We at the RSS give all support to the reservations provided in the Constitution," he said.

He pointed out that discrimination exists in society even if we do not see it. He said that reservations are not just about economic or political equality, but also about giving respect to those who suffered. He asked those who did not face discrimination to bear some inconvenience for 200 more years.Answering a question from a student, Bhagwat said he cannot say exactly when Akhand Bharat will become a reality.

"But if you work for it, you will see it happen before you get old. Because the situation is such that those who separated from India feel that they made a mistake. They feel that `we should have been India again'. They think that to become India they need to erase the lines on the map. But it is not so. Being India is accepting the nature ("swabhav") of India," he said.

He also dismissed the allegations that the RSS did not hoist the national flag at its headquarters in Mahal area of Nagpur from 1950 till 2002. He said, "Every year on August 15 and January 26 we hoist the national flag, wherever we are. There is flag-hoisting at both our campuses in Mahal and Reshimbagh in Nagpur. People should not ask this question to us." He then narrated an incident from the Congress's Tejpur convention near Jalgaon in 1933 when Jawaharlal Nehru hoisted the national flag on an 80-feet pole.

The flag got stuck halfway in front of a crowd of about 10,000, but a young man came forward, climbed the pole and freed it, he said.

Nehru asked the young man to be present at the convention the next day for felicitation, but it did not happen because some people told Nehru that the young man attended an RSS `shakha' (daily assembly), Bhagwat claimed.

When (RSS founder) Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar heard this, he visited the young man's house and praised him, Bhagwat said. The young man's name was Kishan Singh Rajput, he added.

"The RSS has been associated with the honour of the national flag from the very first time it faced a problem. We also hoist the national flag on these two days (August 15 and January 26)....But whether it is hoisted or not, when it comes to the honour of the national flag, our swayamsevak (RSS volunteer) has been ready to give his life," Bhagwat said