RSS a misunderstood entity: Advani

ashish — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 00:18:53 -0400

Senior BJP
leader LK Advani on Saturday lamented that the RSS "has been a most
misunderstood patriotic organisation" both in pre and post-Independent India,
despite having been a movement that "transformed the society and thousands of
youngsters."

"The RSS has really been a movement that transformed the society (in general)
and thousands of youngsters (in particular). Unfortunately, the RSS has been a
most misunderstood patriotic organisation both in pre and post-Independent
India," Advani said. Advani was sharing the platform with RSS chief KS Sudarshan
at a book release function organised at KC College auditorium in south Mumbai in
memory of late Sangh Parivar functionary Jhamatmal Wadhwani.

In his address after releasing a book Rashtra Aaradhak written in memory of
Wadhwani, Advani said that people like Jhamatmal Wadhwani had worked hard in
trying to remove the misunderstanding among people about the RSS among the
people. It was rather sad that the "misunderstanding" continued to persist among
sections of people. Advani and Sudarshan heaped praise on Wadhawani for his
immense contribution to in "building" the RSS in Sindh province in the
pre-Independent India, and in Mumbai and several parts of the State and the
country subsequently.

Meanwhile, charging that the Indian Constitution had miserably failed in
fulfilling the aspirations of the people, Sudarshan exhorted the BJP to work
towards effecting drastic changes in the Constitution to make it suit to the
needs of the country. Sudarshan said that the late Dr B R Ambedkar was himself
not happy with the Constitution that he had drafted.

He quoted late Ambedkar's observations made in this regard during debate in
the Rajya Sabha on September 3, 1953, to buttress his point.

Ambedkar had said: "People always keep on telling me, so you are the maker of
the Constitution. My answer is I was hack. What I was asked to do, I did much
against my will. I'm prepared to say that I shall be the first person to burn
it. It does not suit anybody."

The RSS chief pointed that the country's Constitution framers had "borrowed"
heavily from the Constitutions of other countries, particularly Britain.

"Given the diversity of India, our existing Constitution should be changed
drastically and are necessary to bring about political stability in the
country," he said.

Source : Pioneer Newspaper , Delhi edition 20.april.2008

Author : TN Raghunatha