Pranab Mukherjee, the Former Indian President, possibly has triggered a controversy by accepting the invitation to be the chief guest at a June 7 function at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS – a right-wing, Hindu nationalist, paramilitary volunteer organisation) headquarters in Nagpur.
A section of Indian people opines that a person like Mukherjee – widely considered as a believer in Democracy, as well as Secularism in true letter and spirit – should not attend an event that is being organised by an organisation that puts forth the religious sentiments! Perhaps, it’s important for us to consider the definition of Democracy before making any judgemental comment on the veteran politician’s decision.
It is expected that the people should have the right to express opinions and views freely in a democratic society. The RSS, too, enjoys this (fundamental) right, as it isn’t a banned outfit. Majority of the Indians may not accept the RSS’ views and ideology, but the Sangh has the right to believe in a particular ideology in a democratic country, like India. It’s quite natural that a respected person will attend an event to be organised by a recognised organisation, deliver a speech and take part in discussions on various topics.

Pranab Mukherjee

Unnecessarily, the Indian National Congress – the main opposition party in the South Asian country – is in a state of dilemma. There is no need for research on what Mukherjee will say.
Mukherjee is an experienced politician who has been serving the nation for more than 50 years. He has the right to address the RSS members and the Congress party would have to ensure that this culture does not go away from the Indian politics.
The next argument may be whether the Sangh will accept his advice? Will it be possible for Mukherjee to encourage the propagators of Hinduism to change their thought process and accept the concept of pluralistic secularism? If the RSS gives no importance to his views, then his participation in the event will be meaningless….
We should remember that the great Indian poet and philosopher, Rabindranath Tagore, delivered lectures on ‘Nationalism’ in China and Japan 100 years ago. Delivering a lecture, Tagore once said: “Nationalism is a great menace. It is the particular thing which for years has been at the bottom of India’s troubles. Our real problem in India is not political. It is social. This is a condition not only prevailing in India, but among all nations.” As expected, the ‘ultra-nationalist’ Chinese and Japanese people rejected Tagore’s view that nationalism is an ‘evil epidemic’. Despite knowing the fact that it would be difficult to convince the people of the two Asian nations, the Indian philosopher had given priority to the morality. For Tagore, it was important to create conducive atmosphere for dialogue.

Rabindranath Tagore

Similarly, Mukherjee can (once again) explain the liberal principles of secularism while speaking at the June 7 event in Nagpur. Perhaps, it’s the right time for the former president to remind us that ‘narrow nationalism’ might destroy the basic structure of the concept of ‘India’. Each and every Indian loves his/her nation…… but they have to realise the nature of the conflict between their ideologies and the real character of India. We can make India ‘stronger’ by resolving the conflict.
Mukherjee gets a rare opportunity to share his views with the RSS members and the ‘wise’ politician has already paid a rich tribute to the Indian democracy by accepting the invitation. Perhaps, he is the right person to initiate an open dialogue between the secularists and religious people over the future of India.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das