[Reader-list] To Taha Mehmood

[Rakesh Iyer]

Dear all

It is utterly ridiculous to believe that RSS and Lashkar are not same.
Infact, they feed on each other.

I refer here to an interview which was published in the Hindustan times,
during the campaigning for Lok Sabha elections in 1998, when the Lashkar
commander had said that his organization hoped that BJP would win power,
because it would mean that it would be easier for them to get more recruits
for their 'jehad'.

The entire connotations and meanings or interpretations of the word 'jehad'
or 'jihad', have been turned into a farce with just one meaning currently in
popular use around the world. Many Islamic scholars have pointed out that
'jihad' is a war waged with oneself, against 'evils in oneself'. But it
seems the Lashkar wants to turn it into a 'war against others'. For after
all, it's very easy to attack someone else for a problem of yours for which
the actual reason is you; the more difficult part is to reform oneself. And
yes, with the great America-Pakistan army-ISI-corrupt & morally bankrupt
politicians across India, we can definitely see them easily spreading
through.

As far as RSS is concerned, it is doubly vicious. Lashkar has not gained
majority support even among Indian Muslims in Kashmir, forget other states.
But RSS has been desperately trying to spread its' ideology ala the way Mao
did in China during 1930's and 40's, although by different means and in
somewhat different circumstances. Golwalkar, one of the RSS chiefs had
himself contended, that Muslims and Christians belong to different nations,
and are just foreigners. They have to live in India a life worse than
second-class citizens(the name was given to Muslims in Gujarat after they
were targetted in post-Godhra genocide/riots/pogrom/whatever you wish to
call it).

And Savarkar, an ideological figure for the Sangh parivar, also mentioned
that for Hindus, India is their 'pitrubhoomi' and 'punyabhoomi'. What's
more, when Gandhi himself once went to a Sangh office (he did ironically,
just before indpendence, in 1946 if I am not wrong) he did not see a
portrait of Ram in their office. It was strange that for an organization
representing 'Hindus' even then, a Ram-bhakt called Gandhi couldn't find the
photo of one of the major icons of Hinduism, as the RSS refer to him now.

Of course, for political purposes, even a mandir for Ram can fetch votes, at
the expense of dead bodies, so there is no problem to use him then. Although
what they know about Ram and believe about him, seems to be completely
immaterial.

So how can the two be different, is anybody's guess. Both are distorting
history and religious texts for their own purposes, which are divisive and
disastrous.

Regards

Rakesh

PS: Ironically, for a party-organization structure, which believes in
Hinduism, BJP-RSS has also forgotten the other major and more popular icon
of Hinduism, Krishna. The reasons are not too tough to find. For one,
Krishna 'loved' Radha. All of us know what that means. And now, they have
the tenacity to ask us not to celebrate Valentine's day, when all what
happens is boys giving roses to girls, proposing to them, and holding their
hands and partying. And it's certainly better than our tradition in Holi
(according to BJP, our 'dharma' festival), where boys, in the name of
applying colour to women and girls, can even take their hands upto breasts
of women. And even an abuse of women for this, will be construed as
'meetha'. Remember Mahendra Kapoor saying 'aaj meethi lagi hai teri gaari
re'.