Government at Centre is run by the RSS: Teesta Setalvad

Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party government at the Centre as one being ‘run’ by RSS, social activist Teesta Setalvad on Saturday alleged that issues such as ‘Sanskritisation’ were part of a process to change India into a Hindu state.

"I believe the government at the Centre is run by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. It is an RSS government. You are confused, I am not confused at all," she told media persons.

On Hindutva and Sanskritisation ‘pursued’ by the BJP, she alleged it was a process of political motive to change the character of the Indian state to a majoritarian Hindu one and implement the agenda first through Home, Education and Culture ministries.

"Regardless of whatever has been stated in the name of development, the government agenda is run by the RSS."

She referred to a 1999 meet chaired by then Union Minister Murli Manohar Joshi, saying it was boycotted by even National Democratic Alliance allies such as Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP on Sanskritisation .

Stressing that a process has been on since then, she said each time this government came to power, their agenda was on the ‘question of culture and education’ and to push it.

"Today you have a brute majority government and quite naturally this agenda will be taken forward much more aggressively and it is being taken forward."

A ‘talk was on’ that the HRD Ministry was looking to push books of RSS ideologue Dina Nath Batra all over the country through the CBSE, she claimed and added that these books were already reaching about four lakh students in Gujarat.

Asked if she would move court on the issue, Teesta said ‘there is constant discussion among us on whether you can go to court on policy matters or build resistance otherwise’.

On attacks on worship places in Northern India, she said these could not have happened without vilification campaign against Christians and conversions. "Whether it was the attack on nun in West Bengal or Churches in Delhi it happens because of a systematic campaign built about Christians, Muslims and Dalits and it allows social sanction for violence."

Referring to BJP Member of Parliament Adityanath, she said he should have been disqualified from Parliament 10 years ago. "You have Parliamentarians indulging in most filthy kind of speech."

On communal polarisation vis-a-vis the social media, she said ‘you see certain pattern trolling in Twitter and Facebook and it is not spontaneous’.

There is ‘huge money’ being spent in creating a mood in social media which was not spontaneous, she said and added that there was a ‘deliberate attempt to polarise and provoke’.

She expressed solidarity with Tamil writers like Perumal Murugan who were targeted by some caste groups and supporters of RSS for ‘offensive content’.

On the importance of supporting survivors of communal violence, she alleged "the attempt by the regime in power in Delhi and Gujarat is to actually remove us from the scene so that we don't give help to survivors and so that their testimonies are not protected in court."