Owaisi claims RSS saw no martyrdom or jail sacrifices

Owaisi claims RSS saw no martyrdom or jail sacrifices

Owaisi said no one objects to ‘I love Modi,’ yet objections rise when people declare, ‘I love Muhammed.’

Owaisi Questions RSS Role in Freedom Struggle, Counters Modi’s Praise

Hyderabad: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s praise of the organisation, saying that, to his knowledge, no RSS member sacrificed his life or went to jail during India’s freedom struggle after the Sangh was formed.

Addressing a gathering in Hyderabad, Owaisi said he was surprised by the Prime Minister’s remarks crediting the RSS for its role in nation building. He argued that historical records tell a different story.

“I was surprised by the claims that the RSS participated in India’s freedom struggle,” Owaisi remarked.

   Citing Hedgewar’s Biography

Owaisi drew on details from a biography of K. B. Hedgewar, the RSS founder, to make his case. According to him, Hedgewar did take part in the Dandi March of 1930 and was jailed, but his true motive was not to fight for freedom. Rather, Owaisi claimed, Hedgewar wanted to encourage young freedom fighters to join the Sangh, a move he described as strategic recruitment rather than genuine participation.

“The intent was not about India’s independence,” Owaisi alleged, “but about strengthening the RSS.”

   British Archives and the Flag Debate

The AIMIM leader further cited British archives, claiming they clearly showed that RSS workers never posed a threat to colonial rule and did not participate in the freedom struggle.

He also pointed to writings in the RSS’s own magazine, Organizer. This was known to the Prime Minister, but he ignored it,” Owaisi said, questioning Modi’s acknowledgment of the RSS’s contribution to nation building.

   Golwalkar’s Views and India’s Muslims

Taking his criticism further, Owaisi referenced M. S. Golwalkar, the second Sarsanghchalak of the RSS, and his book Bunch of Thoughts. In the book, Owaisi claimed, Golwalkar described Christians, Muslims, and Leftists as “internal threats” to India.

“The RSS has repeatedly cast doubt on the loyalty of India’s Muslims,” Owaisi said. “Yet history reminds us that the first person sent to ‘Kala Pani’ — the dreaded Andaman Cellular Jail — was Maulvi Allauddin Rahmatullah from Hyderabad, a Muslim.”

By invoking this contrast, Owaisi sought to highlight the sacrifices made by Muslims during the freedom struggle while challenging the RSS’s historical narrative.

   Online Counterpoints and Support

Owaisi also took to X (formerly Twitter) to respond to Modi’s remarks, sharing a post that highlighted a recent address by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Bhagwat had praised the RSS’s contributions to nation building and emphasised India’s innate potential to achieve “new heights of glory” for the benefit of the world.

To Owaisi, this was a selective reading of history. “The Prime Minister cannot overlook what is written in the archives or even in the RSS’s own publications,” he said.

The controversy surrounding Owaisi’s comments came against the backdrop of a separate row in Kanpur. Police there registered an FIR against 24 people for allegedly installing boards that read ‘I Love Muhammad’ during an Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi procession on September 4.

Commenting on the matter, Owaisi said there appeared to be double standards. “There is no objection if someone says ‘I love Modi’. But there is an objection if someone says ‘I love Muhammad’,” he argued.

For Owaisi, both incidents — Modi’s praise for the RSS and the FIR in Kanpur — reflected deeper issues of selective interpretation of history and unequal treatment of communities.

As the debate over the RSS’s past continues, Owaisi’s remarks have once again pushed the conversation into the political spotlight. His critique blends history, identity, and contemporary politics, ensuring that the questions he raises will echo well beyond Hyderabad.