Election Bonds Program Is a Government Experiment, Says Dattatreya Hosabale, General Secretary of the RSS

Dattatreya Hosabale, who was reelected as the general secretary (Sarkaryavaha) of the RSS on Sunday, claimed that the electoral bond plan is a government “experiment” that requires its own system of “checks and balances.”

The organization nominates a new general secretary every three years according to its own procedures.

Speaking to the media after the four-day Akhil Bhartiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS), Hosabale defended electoral bonds, stating that they were a government experiment. Every new application passes through a phase, and this is also the case with EVMs. Additionally, the electoral connections need their own check and balance mechanism.

Speaking about the main policies that the RSS has decided to implement for the year, Hosabale said that the group would prioritize its efforts to create Samajik Samrasta, or a society that is devoid of caste prejudice.

Due to their shared cultural heritage, minorities, including Christians and Muslims, are increasingly becoming affiliated with the RSS. “We refer to everyone whose forefathers were citizens of the nation as Hindus. This is a statement about cultural connection rather than religion. Our outreach to Muslims and Christians is also growing in order to forge greater cultural ties,” he said.

Dattatreya Hosabale, who has been re-elected as the general secretary of the Rashtriya Balakshmi Sanghalaya (RSS), said that the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS) discussed a range of contemporary issues, from calling Ram Janmabhoomi a way to “national resurgence” in its annual resolution to mentioning farmer protests in Punjab as one of the causes for “anarchy” in the state. The highest decision-making body in the RSS is the ABPS.

WHAT IS CALLED A MINORITY?
Hosabale said, “We need to re-consider the concept of minority as it finds its mention in the Indian Constitution,” in reference to who should be classified as “minorities.” Since the nation is seen as distinct when we refer to it as a minority, to whom does it belong? Everyone is a part of our nation. The RSS has maintained that no one in India should be seen through the lenses of the majority or minority since Sangh’s founding in 1925, regardless of the faith they practice.

Christians and Muslims are seen as minority groups in India. Ever since Guru Golwalkar ji’s time, every Sarsanghchalak has endeavored to engage in discourse with them. We have workers from these communities at RSS as well, he said, but we don’t want to showcase them.

SANDESHKHALI, PUNJAB MANIPUR
Speaking on Manipur, Hosabale said that the state is now undergoing healing and that the Kukis and Meitei groups had to cooperate to bring about peace. “Hundreds of people were killed, and hundreds of houses were set on fire.” Thus, a profound wound exists. To pretend that nothing had occurred would be absurd. It will take time for the wound to heal. Meiteis and Kukis are among our volunteers. They have started a peace discussion,” he said.

Speaking of the women’s struggle in Sandeshkhali, he said that society and the government should always support and empower women. “These kinds of incidents should be strongly denounced and the perpetrators held accountable,” he said. RSS will always back these anti-injustice campaigns.

Two distinct types of occurrences that occurred lately in Punjab unsettled the state. In some areas, farmer protests led to “anarchy,” while in others, the Khalistani separatist movement upended the social order. Despite Amritpal Singh’s arrest, caution should be used to reduce the likelihood of separatist movements in the nation.