Priest rebukes RSS chief's Hindutva view

The spokesperson of the Catholic Church in Madhya Pradesh, Fr. Anand Muttungal, has hit out at Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat for his statement that "Indians were Hindus and if one was not a Hindu he could not be an Indian."

"His logic is faulty and it is a blatant negation of Indian Constitution and disrespect to the secular fabric of India," responded Muttungal, who chided the RSS for "trying hard eighty-four years to indoctrinate the secular conscience of this country to buy its concept of Hindu Rashtra."

At a gathering of Hindus in Bhopal, Bhagat reportedly said, "Jesus Christ was a revered figure and so was Prophet Mohammad, but India could not be united in their names."

Responding to the statement, Muttungal in an article titled "Warning Bell to RSS", said it was "an indirect call to incite communal passion."

"He tells people that Lord Jesus and Prophet Mohmmad are revered figure but in their name, India cannot be united because they are not Indians. Any person with common sense would understand that it is a silly logic. How could one believe this for the simple reason that this organization continues to praise a western infamous figure Hitler even today," wrote Muttungal.

"He also went on to say that western life style we should not embrace. It is very interesting to see him standing in shorts and Shirt, a purely western dress. This organization needs to abandon its western identity," he added.

Says Muttungal, "negative publicity is more publicity" and it is a general principle that works in the media.

"If we analyse the statements made by this organization about Christians regarding religious conversion, it must be honestly told that it has given wide publicity to Christianity and it's work in the country," he noted.

"People are made to think seriously, what is it that makes Christians to work hard with all these abuses. There is an eagerness created among a good number people to know more about Christians. It is a warning bell to the RSS that it can no more go ahead with it's poisonous ideology against this nation and its constitution."