We are neither Left Nor Right - RSS Sarkaryavaah (General Secretary) Shri Dattatreya Hosabale

Couple of days back RSS Sarkaryavaah (General Secretary) Shri Dattatreya Hosabale made a very significant speech at the release program of veteran RSS prachaarak Ram Madhav’s book – The Hindutva Paradigm, on which Shri Ratan Sharda has written a appreciation piece on News Bharati. The piece is indeed excellent work of explaining RSS's view  points on various issues & as a Hindu, I accept many of the positions like RSS doesn't think in binary of Left & Right, East & West, Hindu, Economics & reiterates that Sangh is centrist. Generally, one would be agreeable to Sangha's position. One would also agree with RSS's views that ancient India was neither Right, Nor Left. 

However, I would like to point out that many a times RSS doesn't want to contribute to the balance restoration, when one particular thought is becoming dominant & aggressive to bring back the balance towards center. Let us see this on some issues.

Russian revolution happened in 1920 to 30s. RSS was not even born then. However, going further 1947 India became independent. Through the 1955 Avadi Resolution of the Indian National Congress, a socialistic pattern of development was presented as the goal of the party & India. A year later, the Indian parliament adopted 'socialistic pattern of development' as official policy, a policy that came to include land reforms and regulations of industries. So far so good. No issues.  The world was in awe of the Marxism & it was certainly a much-needed reaction to the Capitalism practiced in those days. 

However, in 1960s to 1980s the cracks in the Marxism started appearing. Which were those cracks? I would say, the most important thing that contributed to the fall of Marxism is uncontrolled right of governments to print money that lost the value of the money. Two, not giving any scope to natural selfish interests of human beings & hence no interest by anybody in the society to work for value addition, Three, uncontrollable bureaucracy & corruption. This was bound to fail the idea of Marxism. I, myself have made several debates with my communist friends in 1980s about the eminent fall of Russia around when Gorbachev took over. 

What was my source of information? When all these things were happening, Nani Palkhiwala was giving excellent speeches years after years after every Union Budget covering many Economic issues. The popularity of his budget speech was such that many a times these speeches were organized on Brabourne Stadium. I used to read them in Economic Times.  During the same period, because of my leftist friends, I was also reading Das Kapital translated in Marathi by Pa Va Gadgil. At the same time, I was given Time magazine by my Maternal uncle to read. I could get various inputs from right to left & I could form my own view point which I call now a centrist & used to discuss with my Left friends. When actually Russia Collapsed, my honest leftist friends acknowledged that I had predicted this. Through out this period I was RSS swansevak. I contributed in 1977 emergency agitation etc. 

What was RSS's view points on these this happening around? Nothing. Ultimately, when Atalji came in to power, the RSS was exerting its pressure via Swadeshi Jagaran Manch to follow leftist path for the country. I wrote couple of articles in Marathi Vivek which were largely circulated in RSS swansevak. Ramesh Patange & Makarand Muley were open enough to print my contradictory view points in 2000. My article got response form common RSS swansevaks, Chartered accountants and even M. G Vaidya. But I was happy that there was healthy debate in those days. I feel, there was course correction. 

But what was RSS doing in those days as organization? Whatever, I learned was entirely my own private efforts. Why RSS didn't invest on economic thinking of that time? Left is/was heavily investing on these issues of those days & even today via EPW, but had RSS dissected various issues raised by EPW? Was RSS in agreement with EPW & Left or was against some particular issue? What was its specific responses? 

Today, saying we are neither Left, Nor Right is a very convenient position after the defeat of Left ideology. I strongly say, RSS has Zero contribution in pushing Left ideology to center. The balance is restored to the center due to the major faults & holes in the Left thought process. Not because RSS forced them to go towards Centre. 

Similarly, when in 2013/2014 the AAP was on rise, I wrote article describing AAP & how the rise of AAP will be detrimental to the India's security. This article was also published by Shri. Karambelkar in Vivek. I got phone calls from Swansevaks agreeing to my analysis of AAP. But I also got opinion from some Swansevaks that I am jealous due to rise of AAP. But that's acceptable. But I am happy that my predictions about AAP are coming true. But what is the contribution of RSS to this thought process? 

Similarly, I have written & criticized Mananiya Sarasanghachalak Dr. Mohan Bhagwat's DNA analogy about Hindu/Muslim issue. You can read it here. 

I know, this article is talking too much about me. But I am writing this way, because many of these issues were studied on individual basis by me, while at the same time Left had a reputed journal like EPW rolling out hundreds of articles against this thinking. But I had courage to take a contradictory view point on many popular opinions those days. 

Similarly, on Hindu issues, Sitaramji Goyal was writing & fighting battles individually, was there any institutional support to him by RSS or by VHP/Bajrang Dal. I have not heard any. Recently I got to know that, Sitaram Goyalji was very critical due to this indifference showed by RSS.  

I don't compare myself for a moment with greats like Sitaram Goyalji, but the point here is, was there any Hindu institutional support for this to Sitaram Goyalji? Nothing. 

I would also like to point out that, TISS is started by Tatas but it is being used by Hardcore leftist to further "Breaking India" forces. Similarly, many Hindu capitalist are contributing to the cause of "Breaking India". They are not doing it consciously but there is no institutional alternative created for such discourse.

This is RSS's BJP’s great failure. 

Saying we are  neither Left nor Right after 25/30/40 years after the Pendulum has gone from Right to Left & then to Right on it's own, is disingenuous on part of RSS. Or is it that doing nothing is the best response to the things happening around? What are RSS’s contributions when the things were happening & they were going wrong? Has RSS ever backed Nani Palkhiwala or Sitaram Goyalji? That requires idological conviction. And RSS has not shown that conviction has remained ambiguous.  

If RSS is not going to do anything but Swansevak are going to do the things, I would request Ratan Sharda to join hands with me, to form an alternative response like Cato Institute. I will be more than happy to join the hands. 

There is dire need for such response. 

What is Sharia?

This piece is taken from the book Understanding Muhammad, Author: Ali Sina Available on internet from this link. The book is available free for download in many languages including Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, 

I am reproducing this is because many non-Muslims (& perhaps some Muslims also) do not understand the implication of Sharia on them.

Let us take a closer look at the Sharia law. Former Muslim Nonie Darwish, author of Cruel and Usual Punishment: The Terrifying Global Implications of Islamic Law, in an article titled, Sharia for Dummies highlights a few of those laws. 

1. Jihad defined as “to war against non-Muslims to establish the religion” is the duty of every Muslim and Muslim head of state (Caliph). Muslim Caliphs who refuse jihad are in violation of Sharia and unfit to rule. 
2. A Caliph can hold office through seizure of power meaning through force. 
3. A Caliph is exempt from being charged with serious crimes such as murder, adultery, robbery, theft, drinking and in some cases of rape.
4. A percentage of Zakat (alms) must go towards jihad.
5. It is obligatory to obey the commands of the Caliph, even if he is unjust. 
6. A caliph must be a Muslim, a non-slave, and a male.
7. The Muslim public must remove the Caliph in one case, if he rejects Islam. 
8. A Muslim who leaves Islam must be killed immediately. 
9. A Muslim will be forgiven for murder of: 1) an apostasy 2) an adulterer 3) a highway robber. Making vigilante street justice and honor killing acceptable. 
10. A Muslim will not get the death penalty if he kills a non-Muslim. 
11. Sharia never abolished slavery and sexual slavery and highly regulates it. A master will not be punished for killing his slave. 
12. Sharia dictates death by stoning, beheading, amputation of limbs, flogging and other forms of cruel and unusual punishments even for crimes of sin such as adultery. 
13. Non-Muslims are not equal to Muslims and must comply to Sharia if they are to remain safe. They are forbidden to marry Muslim women, publicly display wine or pork, recite their scriptures or openly celebrate their religious holidays or funerals. They are forbidden from building new churches or building them higher than mosques. They may not enter a mosque without permission. A non-Muslim is no longer protected if he commits adultery with a Muslim woman or if he leads a Muslim away from Islam. 
14. It is a crime for a non-Muslim to sell weapons to someone who will use them against Muslims. Non-Muslims cannot curse a Muslim, say anything derogatory about Allâh, the Prophet, or Islam, or expose the weak points of Muslims. However, the opposite is not true for Muslims. 
15. A non-Muslim cannot inherit from a Muslim. 
16. Banks must be Sharia compliant and interest is not allowed. 
17. No testimony in court is acceptable from people of low-level jobs, such as street sweepers or a bathhouse attendant. Women in such low level jobs such as professional funeral mourners cannot keep custody of their children in case of divorce. 
18. A non-Muslim cannot rule even over a non-Muslims minority. 
19. Homosexuality is punishable by death. 
20. There is no age limit for marriage of girls under Sharia. The marriage contract can take place anytime after birth and consummated at age 8 or 9. 
21. Rebelliousness on the part of the wife nullifies the husband’s obligation to support her, gives him permission to beat her and keep her from leaving the home. 
22. Divorce is only in the hands of the husband and is as easy as saying: “I divorce you” and becomes effective even if the husband did not intend it. 
23. There is no common property between husband and wife and the husband’s property does not automatically go to the wife after his death. 
24. A woman inherits half what a man inherits. 
25. A man has the right to have up to 4 wives and she has no right to divorce him even if he is polygamous. 
26. The dowry is given in exchange for the woman’s sexual organs. 
27. A man is allowed to have sex with slave women and women captured in battle, and if the enslaved woman is married her marriage is annulled. 
28. The testimony of a woman in court is half the value of a man. 
29. A woman loses custody if she remarries. 
30. To prove rape, a woman must have 4 male witnesses.
31. A rapist may only be required to pay the bride-money (dowry) without marrying the rape victim. 
32. A Muslim woman must cover every inch of her body which is considered “Awrah,” a sexual organ. Some schools of Sharia allow the face and some don’t. 
33. A Muslim man is forgiven if he kills his wife caught in the act of adultery. However, the opposite is not since he “could be married to the woman he was caught with.”