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Bengaluru, Nov 9 (IANS) Responding to a question about the legal authenticity of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and whether it remains unregistered on its own will or to avoid legal obligations, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said, ‘Many things exist without registration, and even Hinduism is not registered.’
He made this statement during the question-answer session on the second day of the “100 Years of Sangh Yatra: New Horizons” program organized in Bengaluru on Sunday.
Bhagwat said, “This question has been answered many times. People who want to raise such questions keep repeating them and we have to keep answering. This is not the first time that this issue has been raised.”
“The Sangh started in 1925. Do you expect us to be registered with the British government – the same government against which our Sarsanghchalaks were fighting?” he asked.
He pointed out that after independence the laws in independent India did not make registration mandatory. “Unregistered bodies of persons are also given legal status. We are classified as such and we are a recognized organisation,” he underlined.
Bhagwat further said, “The Income Tax Department once asked us to pay income tax, and the litigation was ongoing. The court ruled that we are a body of individuals, and our ‘Guru Dakshina (donation)’ was exempted from income tax.”
“We were banned three times, which means the government recognizes us. If we didn’t exist, then who did they ban? Each time, the courts struck down the ban and confirmed that the RSS is a legal organisation,” he said.
Bhagwat clarified, “Questions are often raised in the Assembly and Parliament; statements are made for and against the RSS. All this indicates recognition. Legally and factually, we are an organisation. We are not unconstitutional – we work within the framework of the Constitution. Therefore, we do not need to register.”
He reiterated, “Many things exist without registration. Even Hinduism is not registered.”
Responding to a question about the RSS’s vision for the next two decades, Bhagwat said, “We want to unite and organize the entire Hindu society, provide quality and discipline so that it can make a prosperous and strong India – a nation that can share the knowledge of religion with the world, making it happy, blissful and peaceful.”
He said, “That part of the task has to be accomplished by the whole society – the whole nation. We are preparing the Hindu society for that purpose. That is our only vision. Once we have accomplished that vision, we have nothing else to pursue.”
Bhagwat finally said, “It is our job to organize the entire Hindu society and we will accomplish it. We will do whatever is necessary to organize the society. Our mission is to build an organized and strong Hindu society.”
–IANS
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