'Communal body with totalitarian outlook': Congress quotes Gandhi on RSS centenary; shares Sardar Patel’s concerns about Sangh

NEW DELHI: Congress on Thursday cited excerpts from a book to claim that Mahatma Gandhi described the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a "communal body with a totalitarian outlook."

As the Sangh marked its 100th anniversary, Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said Pyarelal, one of Gandhi's closest aides who was part of his personal staff for almost three decades and became his secretary after the death of Mahadev Desai in 1942, had documented the remarks.


"Pyarelal's books on Mahatma Gandhi have become standard reference works. In 1956, he published the first volume of his book — 'Mahatma Gandhi: The Last Phase' — that was brought out by Navajivan Publishing House, Ahmedabad. It carried a long introduction by the President of India Dr. Rajendra Prasad, as well as an endorsement by the Vice President Dr. S. Radhakrishnan," Ramesh said in a post on X. The second volume appeared two years later.


"On page 440 of the second volume, Pyarelal writes of a conversation between Mahatma Gandhi and one of his colleagues in which the Father of the Nation describes the RSS as a 'communal body with a totalitarian outlook'," Ramesh added, noting that the conversation took place on September 12, 1947.

He also said that five months later, then Union home minister Sardar Patel banned the RSS. Ramesh shared a screenshot of the passage from the book highlighting Gandhi’s characterisation of the RSS.

On Wednesday, as PM Modi praised the RSS for its role in nation-building during its centenary celebrations, the Congress claimed that Patel’s warnings about the organisation’s activities contributed to the atmosphere that led to Gandhi’s assassination.

In a post on X, Ramesh wrote, "The PM has spoken much of the RSS this morning. Is he even aware of what Sardar Patel wrote to Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee on July 18, 1948?"


"The activities of the RSS constituted a clear threat to the existence of the government and the State. Our reports show that those activities, despite the ban, have not died down. Indeed, as time has marched on, the RSS circles are becoming more defiant and are indulging in their subversive activities in an increasing measure...." he added.

Ramesh also pointed out that Sardar Patel addressed a massive public gathering in Jaipur on December 19, 1948, and spoke forcefully on the RSS.

During the RSS centenary celebrations on Wednesday, PM Modi said the organisation never displayed bitterness despite several attacks on it and continued to work on the principle of "nation first.

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