OPINION: Tiranga and RSS - The ruckus has passed its expiry date

It is unfortunate that Congress raises a ruckus on dead issues to keep targeting RSS. This targeting has passed the expiry date. It is strange that Congress never questioned Communists who ratted on 1942 leaders to please British masters, but questions RSS who supported underground leaders, fought their cases. Ganesh Bapuji Shinkar of Solapur vouched for its role and resigned from Congress to protest against the targeting of RSS.

It is strange that Congress never questions Communists for armed rebellion against newly independent Bharat and fought in Andhra Pradesh against the Indian state. But, questions RSS whose swayamsevaks laid down their lives in 100s protecting Kashmir, Hindus, and Sikhs in Punjab and Sindh. I will not go back to Dr Hedgewar’s sustained fight against the British as a revolutionary and later as Congress leader in 1921 before he formed RSS in 1925, and after that in 1930 and also celebrating 26 Jan 1930 as independence day in all the shakhas. It is well recorded.

I will talk about Bapuji Raipurkar who was gunned down for holding aloft tricolour in 1942 in Ashti. I will talk about Dada Naik who was given a death sentence in 1942 in Chimur but the sentence was changed to life imprisonment due to Hindu Mahasabha leader Dr N B Khare’s plea. More than 1000 swayamsevaks were jailed. I will talk about Devipad Chaudhary and Jagpati Kumar who lost their lives to police bullets while hoisting the tricolour in 1942 on the Patna secretariate. I will record Hemu Kalani’s hanging for participating in the 1942 agitation in Sindh.

It is not a pleasure to remind readers that many parts of Bharat were still under Portuguese and French occupation and Congress wasn’t much interested. RSS carried out big satyagraha in Goa in thousands and Rajabhau Mahakal got a bullet in his eyes for holding tiranga and lost his life. RSS leader Vinayakrao Apte with 100 brave RSS workers liberated Dadra Nagar Haveli in 1954, hoisted national tricolor, put Portuguese police in jail and handed over the territory to Indian government. Shamefully, Goa freedom fighter, Mohan Ranade, rotted in jail till 1969 as the Congress government was not bothered and was released due to the personal efforts of well-known RSS swayamsevaks and music director Sudhir Phadke.

Limited space doesn’t allow me to write more, I have written a book on this topic. I think this campaign calumny should stop and Congress should stop efforts to monopolize the history of freedom struggle in the name of a few of its leaders.

The author of this article, Ratan Sharda is a Columnist, TV Panelist, and has a Ph.D. on RSS. 

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