When bid was made to ban RSS, a Muslim man named Ibrahim came to its defence, says Mohan Bhagwat

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat said in Nagpur that when an attempt was made to ban the Sangh, it was not a swayamsevak but a Muslim man who rushed to its defence. According to him, the man was named Ibrahim and he was the first to support the Sangh. Bhagwat also said that whatever is needed to complete a task comes of its own accord.

Bhagwat said the first attempt to ban the Sangh was made in the Central Provinces assembly in the 1930s. No swayamsevak came forward on behalf of the Sangh then, and there was no one to support its ideology. A man named Ibrahim then stepped forward.

As Bhagwat narrated, Ibrahim had said the Sangh should not be banned because it is not communal. Bhagwat said he had also said that those who call Hindustan a Hindu Rashtra should be sent to a lunatic asylum. Ibrahim had said he knew Dr Hedgewar, who was not mad but a good human being. Bhagwat said Ibrahim had maintained that the Sangh could never be communal.

Bhagwat said the Sangh had been founded only a few years earlier then and few people knew of it, but everyone knew Dr Hedgewar. When the Sangh began, swayamsevaks became its identity. Even a hundred years on, swayamsevaks remain the true identity of the Sangh, Bhagwat said clearly.

Bhagwat said people are of different kinds and their levels of ability differ. Everyone has a particular strength, but one thing is common to all: dedication. He said he is himself a pracharak, has seen pracharaks and continues to see them, so this has become very ordinary for him.

According to Bhagwat, a swayamsevak's life has no ego and no expectation for himself. He does as much good for society as he can. Many crises arise in such work, and temptations are also offered. Bhagwat said that of the 70 to 75 lakh people who call themselves swayamsevaks today, 4,000 give up their own expectations and live for the country's future. He also said a person like him, who has crossed 70, can certainly become tolerant.

Bhagwat cited a Marathi saying: finish the sacred thread ceremony at the wedding pavilion. He said that here the reverse happens and the sacred thread comes first. In his view, such a life needs to be lived today. He said the world's eyes are on India in this matter.