I too found A. D'Souza's analysis of Hindutva accurate and to the point. Fondness for facism had been explicitly expressed by founding leaders of Hindutva movement and also by Abul 'ala Moududi, the founder of modern Islamic fundamentalism.
But the rabid Hindu-haters and Islam-haters refuse adamently to acknowledge the modernism of religious fundamentalists and their political agenda.
I am attaching another piece of analysis and fact-exposure by the Indian author and scholar, Shamsul Islam :
"I plan to write a series on the theory and practice of RSS solely relying on its documents. This material is also available in Hindi, Malyalam, Urdu, Gujarati, Telugu and Marathi. "
Shamsul Islam.
The RSS Idolizes Nazism and Hitler
Doubtlessly Hitler is a great hero for RSS. The RSS as great champions of Hindutva want to deprive minorities of their all civil and human rights shamelessly and openly adhering to the totalitarian models of Hitler. This fascist outlook towards minorities specially Muslims and Christians was clearly elaborated by the senior ideologue of the RSS, MS Golwalkar, in his book, We or Our Nationhood Defined. This book published in the year 1939, gives an insight into the thinking of the RSS leadership. We find Golwalkar in this book idealizing the Nazi cultural nationalism of Hitler in the following words:
German Race pride has now become the topic of the day. To keep up the purity of the Race and its culture, Germany shocked the world by her purging the country of the Semitic Races—the Jews. Race pride at its highest has been manifested here. Germany has also shown how well-nigh impossible it is for Races and cultures, having differences going to the root, to be assimilated into one united whole, a good lesson for us in Hindusthan to learn and profit by.
[Golwalkar, We Or Our Nationhood Defined, Bharat Publications, Nagpur, 1939, p. 35.]
Golwalkar unhesitatingly wanted to model his Hindu Rashtra or Nation on Hitler's totalitarian and fascist pattern as is clear from the following words of his in the same book:
It is worth bearing well in mind how these old Nations solve their minorities problem. They do not undertake to recognize any separate element in their polity. Emigrants have to get themselves naturally assimilated in the principal mass of the population, the National Race, by adopting its culture and language and sharing in its aspirations, by losing all consciousness of their separate existence, forgetting their foreign origin. If they do not do so, they live merely as outsiders, bound by all the codes and conventions of the Nation, at the sufferance of the Nation and deserving no special protection, far less any privilege or rights. There are only two courses open to the foreign elements, either to merge themselves in the national race and adopt its culture, or to live at its mercy so long as the national race may allow them to do so and to quit the country at the sweet will of the national race. That is the only sound view on the minorities problem. That is the only logical and correct solution. That alone keeps the national life healthy and undisturbed. That alone keeps the nation safe from the danger of a cancer developing into its body politic of the creation of a state within a state.2
[Golwalkar, We Or Our Nationhood Defined, Bharat Publications, Nagpur, 1939, p. 47.]
RSS was the brain child of KB Hedgewar, VD Savarkar and BS Moonje. All of them including Golwalkar who became chief (sarsanghchalak) of RSS after Hedgewar, were great fans of Fascism and Nazism. The Italian researcher of Indian politics, Marzia Casolari (Marzia Casolari's article titled 'Hindutva's Foreign Tie-up in the 1930s-Archival Evidence' in The Economic & Politcal Weekly, 22 January, 2000, pp. 218-228) has done pioneer work in tracing the fraternal links between RSS founders on the one hand and Fascism and Nazism on the other. She has traced the linkages between the two after a laborious perusal of Moonje diaries which are available at Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi. According to her :
The existence of direct contacts between the representatives of the (Italian) fascist regime, including Mussolini, and Hindu nationalists demonstrates that Hindu nationalism had much more than an abstract interest in the ideology and practice of fascism. The interest of Indian Hindu nationalists in fascism and Mussolini must not be considered as dictated by an occasional curiosity, confined to a few individuals; rather, it should be considered as the culminating result of the attention that Hindu nationalists, especially in Maharashtra, focussed on Italian dictatorship and its leader. To them, fascism appeared to be an example of conservative revolution.
Moonje had a personal audience with Mussolini on March 19, 1931 at 3 pm, in Palazzo Venzia, the headquarters of the Fascist government. The meeting has been recorded in the diary on March 20 in the following words,
I shook hands with him saying that I am Dr Moonje. He knew everything about me and appeared to be closely, following the events of the Indian struggle for freedom…Signor Mussolini asked me if I have visited the University. I said I am interested in the military training of boys and have been visiting the Military Schools of England, France and Germany. I have now come to Italy for the same purpose and I am very grateful to say that the Foreign Office and the War Office have made good arrangements for my visiting these schools. I just saw this morning and afternoon the Balilla and the Fascist Organisations and I was much impressed. Italy needs them for her development and prosperity. I do not see anything objectionable though I have been frequently reading in the newspapers not very friendly criticisms about them and about your Excellency also. 'Signor Mussolini: What is your opinion about them?' , Dr Moonje: Your Excellency, I am much impressed. Every aspiring and growing Nation needs such organisations.' Signor Mussolini, who appeared very pleased, said: 'Thanks but yours is an uphill task. However I wish you every success in return.' Saying this he got up and I also got up to take his leave.
The other great mentor of RSS, VD Savarkar also had great liking for Hitler's Nazism and Fascism of Mussolini. While delivering the Presidential address to the 22nd Session of Hindu Mahasabha in 1940 at Madura he said,
There is no reason to suppose that Hitler must be a human monster because he passes off as a Nazi or Churchill is a demi-God because he calls himself a Democrat. Nazism proved undeniably the saviour of Germany under the set of circumstances Germany was placed in…
Savarkar went on to chide Nehru for opposing Fascism and Nazism in India. According to him,
Who are we to dictate to Germany, Japan or Russia or Italy to choose a particular form of policy of government simply because we woo it out of academical attraction? Surely Hitler knows better than Pandit Nehru does what suits Germany best. The very fact that Germany or Italy has so wonderfully recovered and grown so powerful as never before at the touch of Nazi or Fascist magical wand is enough to prove that those political "Isms" were the most congenial tonics their health demanded.
Savarkar went on to support Hitler's anti-Jewish pogroms and on October 14, 1938, he suggested the same solution for the Muslim problem in India:
A Nation is formed by a majority living therein. What did the Jews do in Germany? They being in minority were driven out from Germany.
Against Democracy
It may also be relevant to know here that Golwalkar as Sarsanghchalak (boss) of the RSS did not dream of a democratic and free India. Contrary to the principles of democracy, he constantly demanded India to be ruled under a totalitarian regime. Golwalkar while delivering a speech before the 1350 top level cadres of the RSS at Resham Bagh in 1940 declared,
RSS inspired by one flag, one leader and one ideology is lighting the flame of Hindutva in each and every corner of this great land.8
[MS Golwalkar, Shri Guruji Samagar Darshan (collected works of Golwalkar in Hindi), Bhartiya Vichar Sadhna, Nagpur, nd., Volume I, p. 11. Hereafter referred as SGSD.]
This slogan of one flag, one leader and one ideology was directly borrowed from the programmes of Nazi and Fascist parties of Europe.
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