‘Non-violence our nature, but to teach lesson…’: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Pahalgam terror attack

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday made a veiled reference to the Pahalgam terror attack and stated that while non-violence was an important tenet of Hinduism, addressing threats from “hooligans” was also part of the religion.

During a book launch programme, Bhagwat said,”Non-violence is our nature, our value. Some people will not change; no matter what you do, they will keep troubling the world, so what to do about it?” as quoted by ANI news agency.

In the aftermath of a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which took the lives of 26 civilians, the RSS chief used an anecdote from the Ramayana to make a veiled reference towards enforcing strict action against the perpetrators.

“Non-violence is our religion. Teaching a lesson to hooligans is also our religion. We never insult or harm our neighbours. But still, if someone turns to evil, what is the other option? The duty of the king is to protect the people; the king must perform his duty,” he said.

Earlier, the RSS chief had reacted to the tragic incident and said, “Our soldiers or our people have never killed anyone by asking about their religion. The fanatics who killed people by asking about their religion, Hindus, would never do this. That is why the country should be strong.”

Mohan Bhagwat on Sanatana Dharma

During the event to promote the book “The Hindu Manifesto, Mohan Bhagwat also stressed the need to understand Sanatan Dharma in true sense and elaborated on the principles of Hinduism.

He also stated that the caste system went against the core tenets of Hinduism, saying, “Nowhere does Hindu scriptures preach untouchability. Nobody is ‘oonch’ or ‘neech’ (hierarchy). It never says that one work is big and the other is small… If you see oonch-neech (hierarchy), it is adharma (irreligious). It’s compassionless behaviour.”

The RSS chief also said, “If you want to recognise the truth. Not everyone has the power to judge the whole truth alone. Truth is that which is a little more than what everyone else has combined.” He added that Hinduism must coexist with other religions in the world.