The RSS chief’s first remarks on the Gyanvapi mosque row are sure to salve inflamed passions

At a time when religious passions are inflamed and inter-community relations strained, RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat’s exhortation to his followers is likely to calm down tempers. “Par har masjid main Shivling kyu dekhna? Woh bhi ek puja hai (But why look for a Shivling in every mosque? What happens in mosques is also a form of prayer),” he said. It needs to be mentioned here that these were his first remarks on the controversy surrounding the Gyanvapi mosque. Of course, he didn’t say that the issue is fictitious or has been raised for political purposes. “The Gyanvapi issue is on. Gyanvapi has a history which we cannot change now. We did not create that history. Not today’s Hindus, not Muslims. It happened then. Islam came here with the invaders. In these attacks, temples were destroyed to subdue the morale of those seeking freedom for this country. There are thousands of such temples. Issues of temples, which hold special significance in the hearts of Hindus, are now being raised,” he said. It is, however, important to note that the RSS chief doesn’t slam the contemporary Muslims for the sins of their ancestors but he doesn’t want that issue to be swept under the carpet either — something which a lot many political and thought leaders desire. Worse, many intellectuals, especially those on the Left, want to whitewash the atrocities perpetrated by the Muslim invaders and rulers in the medieval period; they try to cover these up by the tapestry called ‘syncretic culture’ and ‘Ganga-Jamuni sanskriti.’

Liberals may sneer at Bhagwat’s statement, saying that it was his followers who raked up the Gyanvapi issue in the first place. They believe that the victory of the Hindu side in the matter of Ram Janmabhoomi has emboldened the saffron brigade that is now targeting not just mosques but also other Muslim monuments like the Taj Mahal and Qutub Minar. There may be some merit in the charge, for a number of zealous Hindutva activists have said and done things in the recent past that can be regarded anti-Islamic. A petitioner recently pleaded in the Allahabad High Court for the setting up of a fact-finding committee to investigate the history of the Taj Mahal and open its 22 locked rooms. Thankfully, the HC refused to wade into a murky row, saying, “For the prayer regarding opening up of the rooms, the historical research ought to involve proper methodology. This should be left to the historians.” Unfortunately, the votaries of Hindutva have little patience for anything to emerge from a rigorous history debate. Ironically, their attitude is exactly the same as that of their arch-enemies — Leftists. Both believe in certain dogmas which cannot be questioned. Facts have to conform to the dogmas — otherwise facts, and those who point these out, are trashed. One hopes that Bhagwat’s recently expressed views drill some sense in the minds of Hindutva warriors — and also make Left-liberals less pugnacious.