Farmers Movement Archive

India’s response has stunned China, says Mohan Bhagwat

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, in his annual Vijayadashami speech on Sunday, said India’s assertive response to China’s aggression and expansionist tendency set an example of a strong resolution that stunned Beijing.Referring to the stand-off between India and China in eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley, the RSS chief said China’s misuse of resources by unleashing terror on the borders of India and the aggressive stance of invading Indian territory is well-known to the world. “Our brave defence forces, government and the people remained unfazed and responded sharply to this attack. This example of a strong resolution, exercising self-respect and bravery, has stunned China. Going further, we must be watchful and remain firm. Even in the past, the world has time and again witnessed China’s expansionist attitude,” he said, speaking in Nagpur. Also read: India must overcome China syndrome, embrace QUAD | AnalysisThe RSS has favoured a muscular foreign policy vis-à-vis China, and has advocated an economic policy that pivots around cutting down imports from China and revisiting trade ties with the nation. RSS affiliates such as the Swadeshi Jagran Manch have started campaigns boycotting goods from China. “Rising above China economically, strategically and securing cooperative ties with our neighbours is the only way to neutralise those demonic aspirations. The policies proposed by our leaders seem to be charting those very horizons. Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar are not just neighbouring countries, we have shared friendly bonds with these nations and they are more or less aligned with our values and ethical code,” he said. Bhagwat also said India’s propensity to offer a hand of friendship should not be misconstrued as a sign of being “weak”. “China, for the first time, should have understood that we are ready and capable to fighting,” Bhagwat said. Bhagwat said threats to India are not only from across the border, but within as well. He referred to the protests against the Citizen Amendment Act, or CAA, as the handiwork of those who want to portray India’s “diversity as divisions”. “What happened in the last one year shows why we need to be vigilant. It is natural in a democracy to have political aspirations and strive to grab power; we can have difference of opinion, but election is not a fight between enemies…And there are powers inside India and outside that take advantage of this difference. They try to show our diversity as divisions. They administration should take quick steps to punish those who create problems,” he said. Quoting Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar’s address to the Constituent Assembly, Bhagwat said there was a need to identify disguised elements and defuse their conspiracies that were out to unleash “anarchy”, and cited attempts made to create communal disharmony by propagating a false notion about CAA. “Those who wanted to oppose the amendment in the Citizenship Act …misled our Muslim brothers by propagating a false notion that was aimed at restricting the Muslim population. Opportunists took advantage of this delicate situation by unleashing organised violence and causing unrest in the name of protests. As a consequence, a tense atmosphere was created in the country that put our communal harmony at stake,” he said. Even as he appreciated the efforts of the administration and the society in fighting the challenges brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, Bhagwat said efforts are required to impart skills and create avenues for employment. He said job losses are a challenge that needs to attention.Having lent support to the government’s “Vocal for Local” initiative that promotes indigenous production, the RSS chief said self-reliance implies overall well-being and upliftment of the whole nation through coordinated efforts and cooperation. “A policy-making process where all concerned people and parties discuss and deliberate extensively and draw consentient conclusions fosters the spirit of oneness and trust among all. Open dialogue with all, drawing consensus through discussion, ensuring cooperation and resultant trust - this is the prescribed method for securing credibility and eminence among one’s family and community,” he said. His comments come in the backdrop of the protests over three pieces of farm reforms legislation passed by Parliament last month. While the government has asserted that the new farm laws allow farmers to sell their produce at profitable rates and rid them of middlemen, farmers’ outfits, including the RSS affiliated Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, have protested again the new laws. “Farmers are free to make their own seeds and they are self-reliant they make their own seeds and fertilizer; we need such policies that allow them to make value addition to the age old practices in agriculture,” Bhagwat said. He also suggested that the government should offer some sort of a security blanket to the MSME units and ensure financial help reaches the intended beneficiaries.

Hindustan Times

25-10-2020

India