RSS and North East: Fighting Church and extremist Islamist groups to put in place the India narrative

The scenario in the North Eastern region has been highly worrying since Independence, with the pitch queered further by the Church, present there for nearly 160 years. The role of the Church in fomenting insurgency there has been very well-known. Later they were joined by extremist Islamist groups to oppress ‘recalcitrant’ tribes who refused to fall in line and convert. The situation was so bad, post-Partition, that Guruji appealed for help for victims of Partition in 1950. These helpless Indians had crossed over to India in Bengal and Assam. According to the veteran prachaarak, Madhukar Limaye, quoted above, about 50,000 Hindus per day were crossing over to India during those days due to atrocities in East Pakistan. This appeal resulted in the formation of ‘Vastuhara Sahaayata Samiti’ on 8 February, 1950, under Barrister Randev Chaudhary. By the third week of February, a branch with many relief camps in district headquarters of Assam were also opened. The RSS consistently raised alarm over infiltration from the then East Pakistan and demanded strict action of deporting infiltrators. Later RSS and affiliate organisations supported the movement to send back foreigners in the 1980s in Assam. It has raised the red flag time and again about the planned changing demography. It worked hard to change the narrative of outsider debate by pointing out that India had a moral duty to support the people who came to India due to religious persecution and we must differentiate them from people who infiltrate only for economic gains. The biggest challenge is from the powerful Church that not only converts the tribals but also makes concerted efforts to cut off their roots. This helps the separatist cause that is supported by the Church covertly and overtly, using various front organisations. RSS also pointed out the role of China, Pakistan and Bangladesh agencies in fomenting trouble in this region, a reality corroborated by independent sources, academics, journalists and intelligence agencies. Politicians did not worry about the risk to internal security or peace in society. Thinkers and intelligentsia too analysed and presented the facts but theirs was like a voice in the wilderness. However, most of them and the news media are conditioned by secular versus communal thinking matrix. They refused or avoided to openly question anti-national activities of the Church and the infiltrators. Mainstream politicians looked at immediate gains and made compromises with separatist terrorists and Bangladeshi infiltrators for the sake of vote banks. The RSS had begun work at the ground level in 1950 with serious focus by putting in a strong team of prachaaraks. Understanding the ground reality that fighting an oppressive Church was not easy, finding local, instigated converted population resentful to RSS shakhas, RSS chose to take the path of education, sewa (social service) and re-awakening their affection for their indigenous faith. It took a patient path of bringing them closer to Bharat through people-to-people contact to build the bonds of love. The RSS organised the North East tribes around their respective indigenous faiths. It helped build an education system that wouldn’t try converting them in return. It tried to create a self-reliance mechanism for the local population. This was important because they felt that the rest of India did not care for them, which was a bitter truth. The reason for RSS prachaaraks and workers surviving and thriving in such an antagonist environment is the unstinted support lent by RSS’s network of senior leaders to ground-level workers. Vinay Joshi informs, “Everything which we were able to do in North East was possible only because of the wholehearted support of RSS leadership. Then RSS in-charge of our activity in Meghalaya was the late Mukundrao Panshikar, a veteran prachaarak from Mumbai. Mukundrao ji provided all sorts of logistical, moral and operational support to guys working in NE. Without his support nothing was possible there. The then second in command (current incumbent RSS Chief Mohan ji Bhagwat) was NE in-charge and he frequently toured the region, clearing difficulties for ground workers. Such support has made an immense contribution to NE work.” The RSS work was well supplemented by organisations with similar views, like Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, Vivekananda Kendra and other like-minded organisations not associated with RSS. There is an Indigenous Faith Movement in the entire NER and a trickle of ‘Ghar Wapsi’ is happening now. This has disturbed Christian missionary circles and they have begun building huge Churches while earlier they were working from huts and cottages. A consistent demand of the RSS for years to stop foreign funding to evangelist organisations is now being heard. The Central government is putting strict audit controls, unseen earlier. This has created problems for evangelists as their sources of funds get checked. Recently, FCRA rules have been tightened to stop misuse of funds by putting a ceiling on their overhead expenses so the funds are put to good use, not used for self-gratification. Opinion leaders and common people openly acknowledge now that with changing socio-political scenarios, extremism is only a money-making racket. We might see some upward spike in separatism to keep its flock together but the ground situation is better. The RSS approach to the NER conundrum has been:

• Firm handling of insurgency with no quarter for violence and violent people
• Nurture indigenous faiths so the people are rooted in their traditions, feel confident and affectionate for their society, and bring it closer to the ancient Santana dharma
• Work on the ground for the uplift of the deprived population selflessly through education and projects of self-reliance
• Promote development by pushing for better use of government resources for the people
• Work towards harmony rather than division by rediscovering common elements between different sections of the society
• Bring about emotional integration with rest of India with people-to-people contact

The past few years have shown an urge of the people of NER to join the national mainstream. For example, last year there was only one group on dharna in Guwahati demanding statehood while there used to be at least eight to ten such groups during every Assembly session. It may be a straw in the wind, but it shows which way the wind is blowing. People see a future in having strong links with the ‘mainland’; approach of national integration by stressing on harmonising factors and not differentiating ones is paying dividends. Huge infrastructure development initiatives and the attention that the Central government has given to the region have played a critical role in this change in mood. The sense of alienation is dissipating rapidly. The RSS approach over the years seems to be correct, except its reluctance for diplomatic options that seem to give more to the insurgents than required. The people in the North East now feel connected with India with fast economic development and many political groups are willing to work with forces standing up for national unity. All this does not mean that the threat of illegal immigration, support to Islamist elements on one side and separatist elements bolstered by the Church on the other, with support thrown in by Chinese and Bangladeshi governments to extremists, is not real. It will not be overcome soon. It is still an uphill task, but the signs are encouraging. _The following is an edited extract from Ratan Sharda and Yashwant Pathak’s new book, ‘_Conflict Resolution the RSS Way’, published by the Garuda publications. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.