[Terming Pragya Singh Thakur, an undertial "terror" accused, a symbol" of Indian heritage, as has been done by the one right now occupying the august office of the Indian Prime Minister - that too after she had mocked at the sacrifice of life by an upright police officer while countering the largest terror attack on Indian soil by terrorists from across the border, each and every decent Indian must be finding grossly insulting.
Also relevant: I. 'When RSS shunned Purohit, other Malegaon blast-accused for 'murder plot': The outfit had written to former PM Manmohan Singh, bemoaning move to associate it with Purohit and his supporters, whom it claims had plans to kill RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and leader Indresh Kumar' at < https://www.business-standard.com/article/elections/when-rss-shunned-purohit-other-malegaon-blast-accused-for-murder-plot-119042100220_1.html?fbclid=IwAR1kFa81vRF9NIpEjekGAD07tRGu680TfsJQqgcBJf3HES7RONjMUsqaJwU >. II. 'Are RSS, BJP risking their political future?' at < https://www.asianage.com/opinion/columnists/250419/are-rss-bjp-risking-their-political-future.html?fbclid=IwAR1hoAvQIkJm4hnpd_nm7WfroU1kx1bfkvS6Zx93FcBQP8SHdjQ81VUQkI8 >. Both reproduced below. <<Our group of former civil servants of the All India and Central Services has no affiliation with any political party and is firmly committed to the Constitution of India. We write to express our disbelief and dismay at the candidature of Pragya Thakur for the Bhopal Lok Sabha seat. This decision could have been dismissed as yet another example of political expediency but for the enthusiastic endorsement by no less a person than the Prime Minister of India, who has termed her candidature as a symbol of our civilisational heritage. As if it were not enough to nominate a person who is undergoing trial for acts of terror (the Malegaon Bomb Blast Case), Pragya Thakur, who is out on bail on medical grounds, has used the political platform she has been provided not just to propound her brand of bigotry, but also to insult the memory of Shri Hemant Karkare, the IPS officer who laid down his life in the fight against terror. For Ms. Thakur, Shri Karkare died not because he sacrificed his own life defending ours, but because she had put a curse on him for daring to investigate her and, through his meticulous investigations, successfully charging her for terrorist crimes. In her worldview, anyone who has the audacity to investigate a self-styled “Hindu” religious leader in a “Hindu” country earns divine wrath and therefore would naturally be destroyed. As former civil servants, we are not normally wont to give voice to our feelings. However, this dishonouring of a former colleague, an officer known for his professionalism, has come as the ultimate shock and saddened us beyond words. The country needs to honour the sacrifice of Shri Karkare and not allow deviant individuals to denigrate him and his memory. Every officer who has served with or supervised the work of Shri Karkare has testified that he was a person of impeccable integrity and an inspiration to all who came in touch with him. ... We also appeal to our fellow citizens to reject the pervading atmosphere of hate and divisiveness. Every citizen of India, irrespective of caste, creed or religion, belongs to this country. Let us celebrate our unity in diversity and recall that, together, we have given unto ourselves this Constitution.>> (Excerpted from sl. no. I. below.)] I/III. https://newscentral24x7.com/sadhvi-pragya-malegaon-blast-bjp-narendra-modi-26-11-terror-attack-ats-hemant-karkare-ex-civil-servants-letter/?fbclid=IwAR0Sc4anRXWn0w4tOV63utbKgZjBkjWVDWr1Hk_0jgpkeqQZ7LC0IqnrC30 ‘Our Heritage is Not Acts of Terrorism’: 71 Ex-Civil Servants Decry Malegaon Blast Accused Sadhvi Pragya’s Candidature (Read Letter) The letter slams PM Modi for terming her candidature "a symbol of India's civilisational heritage". By NewsCentral Staff On Apr 24, 2019 Last updated Apr 24, 2019 Sadhvi Pragya Thakur PM Modi (L), Sadhvi Pragya Thakur (R) OPEN STATEMENT BY FORMER CIVIL SERVANTS – CHARGESHEETED TERROR ACCUSED AS PARTY CANDIDATE Our group of former civil servants of the All India and Central Services has no affiliation with any political party and is firmly committed to the Constitution of India. We write to express our disbelief and dismay at the candidature of Pragya Thakur for the Bhopal Lok Sabha seat. This decision could have been dismissed as yet another example of political expediency but for the enthusiastic endorsement by no less a person than the Prime Minister of India, who has termed her candidature as a symbol of our civilisational heritage. As if it were not enough to nominate a person who is undergoing trial for acts of terror (the Malegaon Bomb Blast Case), Pragya Thakur, who is out on bail on medical grounds, has used the political platform she has been provided not just to propound her brand of bigotry, but also to insult the memory of Shri Hemant Karkare, the IPS officer who laid down his life in the fight against terror. For Ms. Thakur, Shri Karkare died not because he sacrificed his own life defending ours, but because she had put a curse on him for daring to investigate her and, through his meticulous investigations, successfully charging her for terrorist crimes. In her worldview, anyone who has the audacity to investigate a self-styled “Hindu” religious leader in a “Hindu” country earns divine wrath and therefore would naturally be destroyed. As former civil servants, we are not normally wont to give voice to our feelings. However, this dishonouring of a former colleague, an officer known for his professionalism, has come as the ultimate shock and saddened us beyond words. The country needs to honour the sacrifice of Shri Karkare and not allow deviant individuals to denigrate him and his memory. Every officer who has served with or supervised the work of Shri Karkare has testified that he was a person of impeccable integrity and an inspiration to all who came in touch with him. Also Read: Despicable, Regrettable— 8 Former Directors General Of Police Condemn Sadhvi Pragya’s Statement (Read Full Text) But this statement is not just about Shri Karkare. It is also about the atmosphere of hate and divisiveness that characterises not just this electoral campaign but seems to be percolating through society as a whole. The candidature of Pragya Thakur is not a symbol of our civilisational heritage. Our heritage is not that of acts of terrorism. It is not of majoritarianism but of celebrating our diversity. It is of tolerance, fraternity and of the unifying spirit of the Constitution of India. To this end, we appeal to the Prime Minister of India to unequivocally condemn, through actions and statements, the existence of terror in any form. He cannot escape the irony of his party seeking votes in the name of fighting terrorism and at the same time endorsing the candidature of a person accused of terror crimes. Martyrdom cannot be selectively appropriated or given up for the pursuit of political ambition. To institutions like the Election Commission and the Judiciary, we would like to point out that their efforts to contain the politics of divisiveness and of hate have had little impact so far. It is necessary to be far more proactive to stamp out this aberration. Inaction will only exacerbate the situation. We, who came together to use our pooled experience in the service of the Constitution and to further the values enshrined therein, call upon our fellow citizens to join us in: Condemning unequivocally, the statement of Pragya Thakur; Demanding that the BJP withdraw her candidature; Reminding the Prime Minister of his oath to uphold Constitutional values and appealing to him to take the lead in putting an end to the climate of fear and intimidation and communal viciousness that seems to be permeating the entire electoral [ecosystem]; We appeal to our fellow citizens to come together and use our collective might to ensure that the India that was dreamt of by Mahatma Gandhi – an India engaged in a ceaseless quest for truth and nonviolence – and the India that the founding fathers of our Constitution conceived of, remains intact and rises to its full potential. Also Read: Exclusive: Reprehensible, Insult to All Martyrs. The Rank and File of Indian Police is Highly Outraged and Strongly Condemns Pragya Thakur’s Statement: ML Kumawat, Former DG, BSF We also appeal to our fellow citizens to reject the pervading atmosphere of hate and divisiveness. Every citizen of India, irrespective of caste, creed or religion, belongs to this country. Let us celebrate our unity in diversity and recall that, together, we have given unto ourselves this Constitution. 1. Anita Agnihotri IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Department of Social Justice Empowerment, GoI 2. Salahuddin Ahmad IAS (Retd.) Former Chief Secretary, Rajasthan 3. V.S. Ailawadi IAS (Retd.) Former Vice Chairman, Delhi Development Authority 4. S.P. Ambrose IAS (Retd.) Former Additional Secretary, Ministry of Shipping & Transport, GoI 5. Vappala Balachandran IPS (Retd.) Former Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, GoI 6. Gopalan Balagopal IAS (Retd.) Former Special Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal 7. Chandrashekhar Balakrishnan IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Coal, GoI 8. Meeran C Borwankar IPS (Retd.) Former DGP, Bureau of Police Research and Development, GoI 9. Ravi Budhiraja IAS (Retd.) Former Chairman, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, GoI 10. Sundar Burra IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Govt. of Maharashtra 11. Kalyani Chaudhuri IAS (Retd.) Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal 12. Javid Chowdhury IAS (Retd.) Former Health Secretary, GoI 13. Anna Dani IAS (Retd.) Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of Maharashtra 14. Surjit K. Das IAS (Retd.) Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of Uttarakhand 15. Vibha Puri Das IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, GoI 16. P.R. Dasgupta IAS (Retd.) Former Chairman, Food Corporation of India, GoI 17. Nareshwar Dayal IFS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs and former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom 18. Pradeep K. Deb IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Deptt. Of Sports, GoI 19. Keshav Desiraju IAS (Retd.) Former Health Secretary, GoI 20. M.G. Devasahayam IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Govt. of Haryana 21. Sushil Dubey IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to Sweden 22. K.P. Fabian IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to Italy 23. Arif Ghauri IRS (Retd.) Former Governance Adviser, DFID, Govt. of the United Kingdom (on deputation) 24. Gourisankar Ghosh IAS (Retd.) Former Mission Director, National Drinking Water Mission, GoI 25. Meena Gupta IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Environment & Forests, GoI 26. Ravi Vira Gupta IAS (Retd.) Former Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India 27. Wajahat Habibullah IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, GoI and Chief Information Commissioner 28. Deepa Hari IRS (Resigned) 29. Sajjad Hassan IAS (Retd.) Former Commissioner (Planning), Govt. of Manipur 30. Kamal Jaswal IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Department of Information Technology, GoI 31. Rahul Khullar IAS (Retd.) Former Chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India 32. Ajai Kumar Indian Forest Service (Retd.) Former Director, Ministry of Agriculture, GoI 33. Arun Kumar IAS (Retd.) Former Chairman, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority, GoI 34. Brijesh Kumar IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Department of Information Technology, GoI 35. Sudhir Kumar IAS (Retd.) Former Member, Central Administrative Tribunal 36. Subodh Lal IPoS (Retd.) Former Deputy Director General, Ministry of Communications, GoI 37. Harsh Mander IAS (Retd.) Govt. of Madhya Pradesh 38. Aditi Mehta IAS (Retd.) Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of Rajasthan 39. Sonalini Mirchandani IFS (Resigned) GoI 40. Sunil Mitra IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Finance, GoI 41. Noor Mohammad IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, National Disaster Management Authority, Govt. of India 42. Deb Mukharji IFS (Retd.) Former High Commissioner to Bangladesh and former Ambassador to Nepal 43. Pranab S. Mukhopadhyay IAS (Retd.) Former Director, Institute of Port Management, GoI 44. Nagalsamy IA&AS (Retd.) Former Principal Accountant General, Tamil Nadu & Kerala 45. P.G.J. Nampoothiri IPS (Retd.) Former Director General of Police, Govt. of Gujarat 46. Amitabha Pande IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Inter-State Council, GoI 47. Niranjan Pant IA&AS (Retd.) Former Deputy Comptroller & Auditor General of India 48. Alok Perti IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Coal, GoI 49. Jayant Prasad IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to Nepal 50. N.K. Raghupathy IAS (Retd.) Former Chairman, Staff Selection Commission, GoI 51. V.P. Raja IAS (Retd.) Former Chairman, Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission 52. C. Babu Rajeev IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, GoI 53. Julio Ribeiro IPS (Retd.) Former Adviser to Governor of Punjab & former Ambassador to Romania 54. Aruna Roy IAS (Resigned) 55. Deepak Sanan IAS (Retd.) Former Principal Adviser (AR) to Chief Minister, Govt. of Himachal Pradesh 56. Shyam Saran IFS (Retd.) Former Foreign Secretary and Former Chairman, National Security Advisory Board 57. S. Satyabhama IAS (Retd.) Former Chairperson, National Seeds Corporation, GoI 58. N.C. Saxena IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Planning Commission, GoI 59. Ardhendu Sen IAS (Retd.) Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal 60. Abhijit Sengupta IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Culture, GoI 61. Aftab Seth IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to Japan 62. Ashok Kumar Sharma IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to Finland and Estonia 63. Navrekha Sharma IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to Indonesia 64. Raju Sharma IAS (Retd.) Former Member, Board of Revenue, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh 65. Jawhar Sircar IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Culture, GoI, & former CEO, Prasar Bharati 66. Narendra Sisodia IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Finance, GoI 67. Parveen Talha IRS (Retd.) Former Member, Union Public Service Commission 68. Thanksy Thekkekera IAS (Retd.) Former Additional Chief Secretary, Minorities Development, Govt. of Maharashtra 69. P.S.S. Thomas IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary General, National Human Rights Commission 70. Hindal Tyabji IAS (Retd.) Former Chief Secretary rank, Govt. of Jammu & Kashmir 71. Ramani Venkatesan IAS (Retd.) Former Director General, YASHADA, Govt. of Maharashtra II/III. https://www.business-standard.com/article/elections/when-rss-shunned-purohit-other-malegaon-blast-accused-for-murder-plot-119042100220_1.html?fbclid=IwAR1kFa81vRF9NIpEjekGAD07tRGu680TfsJQqgcBJf3HES7RONjMUsqaJwU When RSS shunned Purohit, other Malegaon blast-accused for 'murder plot' The outfit had written to former PM Manmohan Singh, bemoaning move to associate it with Purohit and his supporters, whom it claims had plans to kill RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and leader Indresh Kumar Archis Mohan | Varanasi Last Updated at April 21, 2019 13:36 IST When RSS shunned Purohit, other Malegaon blast-accused for 'murder plot' Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday defended his party's decision to field Pragya Singh Thakur as its candidate from Bhopal, saying it was a symbolic response to those who falsely labelled the glorious Hindu civilisation as “terrorist”. Modi accused the Congress party for creating “false narratives” on saffron terror. However, there was a time when the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of Modi’s party, had tried to distance itself from the “activities” of Lt Col Prasad Srikant Purohit and his associates, which included Thakur. In a letter to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the RSS had bemoaned efforts at casting “false aspersions” on it by associating the outfit with the activities of Purohit and his associates, whom it claims were also plotting to kill RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and senior leader Indresh Kumar. In a letter dated February 9, 2011 addressed to Singh, RSS sarkaryavah, or general secretary, Suresh ‘Bhayya’ Joshi said investigating agencies had evidence that “plotters were organizing a chemical attack on Bhagwat” and “had given a pistol to a named specific person to eliminate Indresh Kumar”. The letter was posted on on February 11, 2011, on samvada.org, a website of the RSS, two days after it was sent to Singh. It can still be found on the website (Click here to read it) Vishwa Samvada Kendra (VSK) runs the website samvada.org and describes itself as the “official media centre of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)” with its head office in Bengaluru. The letter mentions Purohit and Dayanand Pandey by name. While it does not mention Pragya Singh Thakur, she is currently on bail in the case. In the letter, Joshi stated that there was a “deliberate attempt to distort, even pervert and politicise, the ongoing investigation into the bomb blasts at Malegon, Ajmer and Hyderabad and to cast false aspersions on the RSS.” Joshi stated that the Maharashtra ATS has evidence that Purohit and Pandey, the accused in the Malegaon case, were simultaneously plotting to kill Bhagwat and Kumar. At the time of the Malegaon terror attack in 2008, Bhagwat was the sarkaryavah of the RSS but had become its chief at the time of the writing of this letter in 2011. Joshi stated that at the time of Malegaon investigations itself, a senior Maharashtra ATS official had informed one of RSS’s prominent leaders about this conspiracy. “Yet, shockingly some elements in the investigative agencies have been trying to club the RSS with those very same people who were plotting against it,” he said. “The fundamental question that arises, but not addressed, is how could the RSS be bracketed with those who were viciously hostile to it and conspiring to kill its leaders?” Joshi wondered in his letter to the then prime minister. The RSS general secretary pointed to the evidence in the chargesheet of the Malegaon blast, to the transcripts of telephonic conversations, which “showed that the conspirators were spewing venom at the RSS and the BJP”. “This extra-judicial confession conclusively proved that the RSS was a target of the accused persons in the Malegaon case,” Joshi said. The RSS leader alleged that the Maharashtra ATS aborted the proble into the plot to kill the RSS leaders. “Was the investigation aborted because the exposure of the plot would foil any attempt to bracket the RSS with the Malegaon conspirators?” he asked. Joshi stated in the letter that he would like to mention how Purohit “mysteriously attempted to divide the RSS and its friendly organisations from within.” “Using his position and his nationalist ideas, he began accessing senior RSS functionaries from the year 2005. Claiming to possess exclusive intelligence, no one else had access to, he and his associates planted canards like, that Indresh Kumar was an ISI agent and that the top BJP leaders were conspiring to harm the leaders of the RSS associates,” he said. Joshi said it “took a while for the stunned leaders to realise that Col Purohit and his associates were actually attempting to divide and weaken the RSS and its friendly organisations from within”. In the letter, Joshi claimed Purohit was anti-BJP and anti-RSS and had hidden political connections and agenda. The RSS leader said Purohit’s “role was political and he was not acting on his own”, and that “only a thorough, independent investigation will expose his political agenda and connections”, and that of Pandey. In what is possibly a hint to explain the current electoral battle in Bhopal where Thkaur is BJP’s candidate against Congress party’s Digvijaya Singh, Joshi said in the letter, “For the past year and more, a senior general secretary of the ruling Congress party has been viciously campaigning against what he called as “saffron terror”. Joshi demanded that the government institute an impartial and independent inquiry into the hidden mission of Col Purohit, Dayanand Pandey and their associates. III. https://www.asianage.com/opinion/columnists/250419/are-rss-bjp-risking-their-political-future.html?fbclid=IwAR1hoAvQIkJm4hnpd_nm7WfroU1kx1bfkvS6Zx93FcBQP8SHdjQ81VUQkI8 Are RSS, BJP risking their political future? Bharat Bhushan The writer is a senior journalist based in New Delhi. Published : Apr 25, 2019, 12:08 am IST Updated : Apr 25, 2019, 12:30 am IST While the RSS as an organisation may not have backed or conspired to launch terrorist strikes against Muslims. Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur Not too long ago the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was suspicious about the Malegaon terror accused, and wanted their antecedents investigated. Today, there is an eagerness to reclaim them as members of the flock. The main accused in the Malegaon case — Dayanand Pandey, Pragya Thakur and Lt. Col. Srikant Purohit, now dismissed — are out on bail. They were all associated with Abhinav Bharat, an extreme right-wing Hindu organisation founded by Lt. Col. Purohit, drawing its name from an organisation founded by V.D. Savarkar, the original Hindutva ideologue and RSS hero. It is also currently headed by Himani Savarkar, daughter-in-law of the RSS icon, and also a niece of Nathuram Godse, Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin. The aim of this organisation, according to conversations recorded on Pandey’s laptop, is to dismantle the Indian Constitution and replace it with one based on smritis (Vedic religious texts). “In this country we want to have Hindu Dharma or Vedic Dharma based on the Principles of Vedas,” Col. Purohit is recorded as saying. Pragya Singh Thakur was actively associated with this group. A former activist of the BJP’s student wing, she is alleged to have provided men for the Malegaon blast and attended meetings to plot the bombing. Her motorcycle was used in the Malegaon blast. She was also charged in the murder of an RSS activist, Sunil Joshi, who the National Investigation Agency (NIA) claims was involved in the Samjhauta Express blasts. The RSS reportedly persuaded the BJP to field Pragya Thakur as its Lok Sabha candidate from Bhopal. Her “homecoming” is also being celebrated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah in their election speeches as a validation of Hindu nationalism and the strange assertion that “a Hindu can never be a terrorist”. On February 9, 2011, Suresh Joshi, aka Bhaiyyaji Joshi, general secretary of the RSS, wrote an unusual letter to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, distancing the RSS from “saffron” terror and those accused in the Malegaon blast of 2008. Mr Joshi claimed that the main accused in the case — Lt. Col Purohit and Dayanand Pandey — were planning to assassinate Mohan Bhagwat (then general secretary and now the chief of the RSS) through a “chemical attack” and that a 9mm pistol had been “given to a named, specific person” to shoot another senior RSS leader, Indresh Kumar. He demanded an inquiry into the assassination plot and the identification of the forces behind the accused. However, the charges of conspiracy to murder top RSS leaders against Purohit and Pandey, which had been dropped by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), were never reinstated despite the fact the the BJP was in power in both Maharashtra and in New Delhi. Others tainted with terrorist charges are also now being brought inside the tent. This includes a self-confessed conspirator in the Mecca Masjid, Ajmer Sharif and Samjhauta Express blasts, Swami Aseemanand. He backtracked on a confession recorded before a magistrate and was released by the NIA special court. The judge reprimanded the NIA for shoddy investigation and withholding key evidence against the accused. Even as the BJP and RSS continue to deny the possibility of “Hindu terror”, it is worth recalling that two “former” RSS activists — Devendra Gupta and Bhavesh Patel — have been convicted in the Ajmer Sharif bomb blasts and are serving life sentences. While the RSS as an organisation may not have backed or conspired to launch terrorist strikes against Muslims, its ideological interface with those accused of these terrorist acts remains undefined and perhaps permeable. Today they are being reclaimed to give the BJP an electoral edge over secular (read anti-Hindu) rivals. But in the long run, the consequences may be dire for the RSS and the BJP. Their relatively moderate leadership could well be shown the door at the end of the night of the long knives. We may in fact be witnessing the formation of RSS 2.0 — one that does not believe in maintaining an arm’s length distance from its extremist ideological progeny. The radicalisation of the RSS would also necessarily reinvent the BJP. The process may be under way. The BJP of Atal Bihari Vajpayee evolved into one that had hardliners like Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi doing the direct ideological bidding of the RSS. They gave way in 2014 to an even more extreme party which did not shy away from intimidation and fear with the duo of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah at the helm —one shaped governance in his image and the other the party. Now, they could be making space for more extreme nominees of the RSS. First, a hate-spewing saffron-clad Yogi Adityanath was foisted as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, one of the most populous and politically significant states of India. And now, Pragya Singh Thakur, a Malegaon terror undertrial, has been fielded for Parliament. For sure, it will not be saffron-clad Pragya Thakur or an incompetent Yogi Adityanath who will replace the Modi-Shah leadership. But they will only pave the way for the long-term transformation of the party. Future leaders of the party henceforth might well come from the extreme fringe — the cow vigilantes, arsonists and extremists who are the sword arm of communalism. They will have a precedent for claiming their place in the sun. When the present leadership is exhausted and weak, the RSS will replace it from a pool that will also contain these elements. The danger, however, is that the revolution might devour its own children. By embracing extremists for tactical gains, the RSS and the BJP are going in the same direction as the Congress had by encouraging Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale to counter the Akali Dal in Punjab and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka to leverage a settlement for the Tamils in the island nation. Both turned out to be Frankenstein’s monsters costing India the life of two Prime Ministers. The Old Testament saying — “They that sow the wind, shall reap the whirlwind” — may yet come to haunt both the RSS and the BJP. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. 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