'Growing Religious Fanaticism, Planned Conversions': Claims in RSS Annual Report

Tabled at the RSS’s Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS) baithak in Ahmedabad, the report also deemed growing "religious fanaticism" to be a "serious challenge," in a section on the national scenario of India.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Saturday, 12 March, released its 2022 annual report, in which it made several claims about an "effective and strong ideological discourse" about nationality, Hindutva, cultural values and tradition and called for popularising measures to "counter rampant misinformation."

Tabled at the RSS’s Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS) conference in Ahmedabad, the report also claimed growing "religious fanaticism" to be a "serious challenge" in a section on the national scenario of India.

Further, without providing any evidence to back their claims, the RSS, which is the ideological fountainhead of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), talked of a particular community's 'long-term conspiracy' to 'enter the government machinery.'

These are some of the claims made by the RSS in the annual report:

• Efforts are also afoot to weaken the society by rising various fissiparous tendencies in the Hindu society itself. As the census year approaches, there are instances of inciting a group by propagating that “they are not Hindus.”

• Therefore, in this background, the report goes on to say: "it is necessary to create effective and strong ideological discourse based on truth and facts about Nationality, Hindutva, its history, social philosophy, cultural values and tradition etc."

• "The formidable form of growing religious fanaticism in the country has raised its head again in many places. The brutal murders of activists of Hindu organizations in Kerala, Karnataka are an example of this menace."

• "Series of dastardly acts revealing communal hysteria, rallies, demonstrations, violation of social discipline, custom and conventions under the guise of the Constitution and religious freedom, inciting violence by instigating meagre causes, promoting illegal activities, etc. is increasing"

• "There appears to be elaborate plans by a particular community to enter the government machinery. Behind all this, it seems that a deep conspiracy with a long-term goal is working."

• "There is continuous information about the planned conversion of Hindus in different parts of the country...It is true that the social and religious leadership and institutions of Hindu society have woken up to some extent and become active to check this trend. It seems necessary to make joint and coordinated efforts in this direction in a more planned manner."