New Delhi: As the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) marked its centenary, the Congress on Thursday cited excerpts from a book to assert that Mahatma Gandhi described the Sangh as a “communal body with a totalitarian outlook.”
In a post on X, Congress general secretary in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, highlighted that Pyarelal, one of Gandhi’s closest aides who served on his personal staff for nearly three decades and became his secretary after Mahadev Desai’s death in 1942, documented the Mahatma’s views in his writings.
“Pyarelal’s works on Mahatma Gandhi are considered standard reference texts. In 1956, he published the first volume of Mahatma Gandhi: The Last Phase, released by Navajivan Publishing House, Ahmedabad, with a detailed introduction by President Dr. Rajendra Prasad and an endorsement from Vice President Dr. S. Radhakrishnan,” Ramesh noted. The second volume followed two years later.
Ramesh said, “On page 440 of the second volume, Pyarelal recounts a conversation from September 12, 1947, in which Mahatma Gandhi described the RSS as a ‘communal body with a totalitarian outlook.’” He added that five months later, then-Union Home Minister Sardar Patel had imposed a ban on the organisation. Ramesh also shared a screenshot from the book highlighting Gandhi’s characterization of the RSS.
After Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the RSS for its nation-building role on Wednesday, the Congress reminded him that Patel had warned that the Sangh’s activities had fostered an environment that contributed to Gandhi’s assassination.
In a post on X, Ramesh asked, “The PM has spoken extensively about the RSS today. Is he aware of what Sardar Patel wrote to Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee on July 18, 1948?” He shared excerpts from Patel’s letter, in which Patel stated:
“Regarding the RSS and the Hindu Mahasabha, the case related to Gandhi’s murder is sub-judice, and I should not comment on their participation. But our reports confirm that the activities of these two groups, particularly the RSS, created an atmosphere in the country that made such a ghastly tragedy possible… The RSS’s activities posed a clear threat to the government and the State. Despite the ban, their activities have not ceased. Over time, RSS circles have grown more defiant and increasingly engaged in subversive activities.”
Ramesh further noted that Sardar Patel had addressed a massive public gathering in Jaipur on December 19, 1948, speaking strongly against the RSS.
During the RSS centenary celebrations in Delhi on Wednesday, PM Modi had praised the organisation, saying it had consistently prioritized the nation and never displayed bitterness despite facing multiple attacks.
