RSS that we do not know (Part II)

http://www.rss.org/New_RSS/History/Achievements.jsp

Much has been said and written about RSS and people take pride in maligning right wing organizations in India in the name of secularism. But we should not overlooked the fact that no other organization is survived over 80 years and still growing. Here is the brief overview about role of RSS during invasions by neighbouring countries on nascently independent nation, which even many swayamsevaks are not aware of!

During 1962 Chinese Invasion

Deep concern for the national sovereignty over every inch of the country has ever remained the life-breath of Sangh all the years. The Indian Government, for the umpteenth time, tried to buy peace with Pakistan by appeasing her with the gift of certain areas in West Bengal. In December 1959, the Akhil Bharatiya Karyakari Mandal (the All-India Executive Committee) of Sangh warned that "The introduction of a bill to amend the Constitution for transfer of Berubari and other Indian territories to Pakistan is detrimental to our national pride and solidarity." It also urged all members of Parliament "to vindicate their supreme duty of safeguarding the nation's sovereignty by firmly rejecting the suicidal bill and allaying the fears of the people in that regard."

When the Kashmir issue was taken to the UNO, Shri Guruji publicly warned that the step would boomerang and pose serious problems in future for the security and integrity of the country. Again, he was the first public leader to give out the news of illegal occupation by the Chinese of large chunks of our strategic Himalayan borders. In 1960, when Pandit Nehru and Chou-Enlai were jointly touring our country singing the lullaby of "HindiCheeni bhai bhai", Shri Guruji's was the one voice laying bare the dragon's teeth hidden behind that enchanting slogan.

And two years later, when the Chinese openly invaded our territory in 1962, the Swayamsevaks swung into action mobilising support to the governmental measures in general and to the jawans in particular. Pandit Nehru was so much impressed that he invited a Sangh contingent to take part in the Republic Day Parade of 26th January 1963. At a mere two days' notice, over 3,000 Swayamsevaks smartly turned up at the parade in full Sangh uniform. Their massive march, in fact, became the major highlight of the programme. When, later on, some Congressmen raised their eyebrows over the invitation to Sangh, Pandit Nehru brushed aside the objections saying that all patriotic citizens had been invited to join the parade.

During the war, the attitude of labour becomes a crucial factor. When China invaded Bharat, a section of the Communist Party of India proclaimed that Chinese forces were here for 'liberating' Bharat (from capitalist domination). Their leaders like Basavaponnaiah went to the extent of saying that Bharat was the aggressor and had occupied Chinese territory. Their unions were made tools to sabotage or obstruct our defence efforts. Their water-transporting union in the North-Eastern region served a strike notice. Transport of food and other materials to the jawans at the Front was hampered. However, the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh decided otherwise. At once it withdrew all agitations by its unions. All the pending demands were put off for the time being. A call was given to workers to give top priority to stepping up defence production and assisting all defence efforts.

The BMS did not stop at that. It decided to end the potentiality for mischief in future by such Trojan horses. In strategic sectors such as defence production, transport, power generation, transmission, etc., special efforts were made. Two decades of such persistent efforts have secured for the BMS federation in the defence sector-the Bharatiya Prati Raksha Mazdoor Sangh- a premier position. BMS is now confident that the leftist unions dare not try their 1962 tactics in the future. So also, in other lifelines of the nation like power generation, road and railway transport, the BMS has established a clear lead over others.

During 1965 Pak Aggression

When Pakistan attacked Bharat in 1965, Lal Bahadur Shastri, the Prime Minister, personally rang up Shri Guruji who was then touring Maharashtra and requested him to be in New Delhi for the All-Leaders Conference the following day. At the conference, Shri Guruji extended complete co-operation on behalf of the Sangh. He also urged that the hands of the Indian army should not be tied down to a defensive posture but allowed to evolve its own offensive strategy. At the conference, when one of the representatives, while addressing Shastriji, kept on saying 'your army', Shri Guruji corrected him with a sharp reminder: "Say, 'our army'."

In Delhi, for the entire period of 22 days of war, police duties like traffic control were transferred to Swayamsevaks to free the police for more pressing tasks. Ever since the beginning of war, batches of Swayamsevaks daily reported at the General Military Hospital, Delhi, to offer blood. The military looked upon the Sangh as a friend in need. Whenever they felt the need for any kind of civil assistance they would just ring up the Sangh Karyalaya. When the war was at its peak a military train carrying wounded jawans arrived in Delhi. Hundreds were urgently in need of blood transfusion. The army officers telephoned to the Delhi Sangh Karyalaya. It was midnight. The very next morning 500 Swayamsevaks reached the military hospital to donate blood. According to the hospital rules, each of them was offered 10 rupees. But the Swayamsevaks returned the amount saying that it could be better used for the wounded jawans.

The Sangh Swayamsevaks of Amritsar organised four canteens on the border within the shelling range of the enemy. It was indeed a sight to see the supreme courage of the young men working in such dangerous areas. The villagers used to donate huge quantities of milk free of charge to these canteens. They would bring meals prepared in desi ghee to these canteens, where hundreds of jawans took their food. On 8th September, when the Government authorities wanted clothes for a large number of injured soldiers, they were got ready in just four hours. The leadership provided by two Swayamsevak MLAs of the Jana Sangh during those crucial days was exemplary.

Prior to the commencement of the undeclared war, the civilian aspect of work was mostly on paper. But the superb way in which cent per cent black outs, night patrols and other items of civil defence measures were performed by the civilians was a miracle. The unarmed civilians successfully caught the Pakistani paratroopers who were armed to the teeth. Every mile of rail track, every bridge and culvert over rivers or canals and every aerodrome was guarded by the civilians in a most courageous and determined manner. And in all these efforts, needless to say, the Swayamsevaks were in the vanguard.

When the war broke out, the Jana Sangh MLA-a Swayamsevak-in Ferozepur district, whose village was situated in the border area just near the theatre of war, promptly told his villagers: "I will stay in my village and shall remain here whatever may happen." Whenever people, terror-stricken by Pakistan's shelling, wanted his consent to leave the village, he would tell them, " You can leave the village, if you so desire. But mind you, I will remain here and fight against Pakistan to my last." Listening to such heroic words, the villagers would again stick to their posts of duty, their morale steeled. Another Jana Sangh MLA, a Swayamsevak, continued to stay in Ferozepur even when the city was actually being bombarded and shelled by Pakistan. Fazilka town had a normal population of about 40,000. Hardly 5,000 persons stayed on eventually, and they were almost all Swayamsevaks and their families.

In Rajouri in Jammu, when two Swayamsevaks-one of them a leader of Jana Sangh-observed Pakistani troops proceeding towards the town, they hastened to the Army Cantonment to give the news. The Army Officer, on his part, had already prepared himself to face the enemy, but he suggested to the two Swayamsevaks to immediately shift to Jammu for safety. He offered them an army vehicle also for the purpose. But they refused the offer saying that their duty lay in their own place for maintaining people's morale and mobilising civilian support for the Army. The next day, a committee was formed for the purpose, which performed its job admirably and thus helped saving Rajouri from the enemy hands.

From Meindhar in the same area comes the story of a Swayamsevak, who dared to enter the enemy trenches. He snatched the stengun from the Pakistani soldier who was firing upon the neighbouring village, killed him and his comrades in the trench and saved the lives of hundreds of our countrymen. Another Swayamsevak of Pathani, in Naushera Taluk, sneaked through the Pak military formation which had surrounded and ambushed a section of the Indian army, and supplied the jawans the much needed water and foodstuffs. When the soldiers tried to shower presents on him he refused them saying that he had only done his duty towards the Motherland.

In Jammu, where the influx of displaced persons swelled into lakhs, the Sangh-sponsored Sahayata Samiti was the one foremost in the field of mobilizing the civilian co-operation for their relief. Right from 15th August up to 6th September, it arranged daily meals for about 25-35 thousand persons and supplied them with all the daily necessities of life. In Gujarat too, a Sangh Swayamsevak working at Okha near Dwaraka shot down two Pakistani satire jets flying low to bombard that port. When he was profusely congratulated by the army men, he remarked, in the true spirit of a Swayamsevak, "I have just done my duty, that is all." When the fighting ended, General Kulwant Singh told a Sangh worker, "Punjab is the sword-arm of India, and RSS is the sword-arm of Punjab." Soon after the war, when the Prime Minister was invited to Tashkent, Shri Guruji sent a message urging him not to go. When, however, he decided to go, Shri Guruji sent a letter to him through Atal Behari Vajpayee, wherein he had urged him to stand During 1971 War of Bangladesh Liberation When war with Pakistan broke out again in December 1971, Shri Guruji's advice to the Government and the people was clear and crisp: "At least now, we should be shaken out of our illusion that an appeal to the so-called international conscience would work wonders." He also said, "Our war aims should be clear. As our Shastras have declared, no shatru shesh, residue of the enemy, should be allowed to remain." However, the Government, in the wake of the heroic liberation of Bangladesh by our jawans, again relapsed into its old groove. With what results we all know now - with both Pakistan and Bangladesh becoming more and more belligerent all the time.

During the war, as on previous occasions, thousands of Swayamsevaks throughout Rajasthan, North Punjab, Jammu, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Bengal pledged their services with the authorities for every kind of mobilisation of civilian support. At several important cities and towns, hundreds of Swayamsevaks enlisted themselves as blood donors as well as volunteers for civil defence and first aid. Patrolling during black-out and undertaking relief works became their normal duties. In Uttar Pradesh, a sustained programme for public awakening was undertaken. Prabhat-pheris (early morning marches) and public contacts were taken up for exhorting the people to remain vigilant about the pro-Pale elements and their possible fifth column activities. In Delhi, the Kingsway Camp police station authorities requisitioned the services of the Swayamsevaks to guard the broadcasting and other vital installations in Radio Colony and the water works at Wazirabad. The Swayamsevaks also looked after the wounded jawans in hospitals at many places. Army hospitals were often flooded with fruits and other consumer articles for the use of the wounded jawans.

On 7th December 1971, when the Barmer railway station in Rajasthan was bombed by Pakistani planes, about 40 to 45 Swayamsevaks rushed to the dangerous spot. A goods train carrying petrol drums was likely to catch fire. The Swayamsevaks, unmindful of the intermittent bombing, removed the drums to safer places. During those critical days, senior defence and government officers insisted that only the Sangh men be permitted to run the canteens in those sensitive border areas.

During 1971 War of Bangladesh Liberation

When war with Pakistan broke out again in December 1971, Shri Guruji's advice to the Government and the people was clear and crisp: "At least now, we should be shaken out of our illusion that an appeal to the so-called international conscience would work wonders." He also said, "Our war aims should be clear. As our Shastras have declared, no shatru shesh, residue of the enemy, should be allowed to remain." However, the Government, in the wake of the heroic liberation of Bangladesh by our jawans, again relapsed into its old groove. With what results we all know now - with both Pakistan and Bangladesh becoming more and more belligerent all the time.

During the war, as on previous occasions, thousands of Swayamsevaks throughout Rajasthan, North Punjab, Jammu, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Bengal pledged their services with the authorities for every kind of mobilisation of civilian support. At several important cities and towns, hundreds of Swayamsevaks enlisted themselves as blood donors as well as volunteers for civil defence and first aid. Patrolling during black-out and undertaking relief works became their normal duties. In Uttar Pradesh, a sustained programme for public awakening was undertaken. Prabhat-pheris (early morning marches) and public contacts were taken up for exhorting the people to remain vigilant about the pro-Pale elements and their possible fifth column activities. In Delhi, the Kingsway Camp police station authorities requisitioned the services of the Swayamsevaks to guard the broadcasting and other vital installations in Radio Colony and the water works at Wazirabad. The Swayamsevaks also looked after the wounded jawans in hospitals at many places. Army hospitals were often flooded with fruits and other consumer articles for the use of the wounded jawans.

On 7th December 1971, when the Barmer railway station in Rajasthan was bombed by Pakistani planes, about 40 to 45 Swayamsevaks rushed to the dangerous spot. A goods train carrying petrol drums was likely to catch fire. The Swayamsevaks, unmindful of the intermittent bombing, removed the drums to safer places. During those critical days, senior defence and government officers insisted that only the Sangh men be permitted to run the canteens in those sensitive border areas.

In the era of information explosion, these things need to be told again to generations to come!