New Delhi [India], August 20 : Launching a sharp ideological attack on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused the organisation of attempting to impose its version of the "truth" on 1.5 billion Indians, stating that only individuals have the right to define their own paths.
Speaking at the "Hara Bhara Swaraj: A Tribute to Rajiv Gandhi's Vision" programme in the national capital, Gandhi contrasted the RSS's philosophy with Mahatma Gandhi's concept of 'Swaraj' (self-rule).
"What Gandhiji was saying was that every living being is a unique entity with their own path towards the truth. I cannot tell you what your truth is. Today, the ideological battle in India is precisely that. It is not fundamentally about environment, politics, or free media--those are symptoms. The real fight is that a small group of people have decided, because they control the system, that they know the truth of everyone in this country. That is my problem with the RSS: the RSS has decided that they know the truth of 1.5 billion people. And I say, no. Only 1.5 billion people can know their own truth," Rahul Gandhi asserted.
"And I say, no. Only 1.5 billion people can know their own truth. Even I cannot do that. If I begin to believe that I know your truth, I would be a madman. Because I am not you. I haven't faced what you've faced; I haven't seen what you've seen; I haven't dealt with what you've dealt with. I don't have the same parents, the same friends, or the same life. So how can I say that I know your truth?" he added.
Noting how Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography was titled 'My Experiments with Truth', and not 'The Truth,' he further said, "Please notice, Gandhiji's book was not called 'The Truth' or 'My Understanding of the Truth'. It was titled 'My Experiments with Truth'. I have experiments with my truth; you have experiments with your truth."
Rahul Gandhi further accused the BJP and RSS of creating a sense of exclusion among various communities, stating that such actions are harming "Bharat Mata."
"Imagine what the BJP and RSS have done. Imagine if I walked into this room and told 15-17 per cent of you--Muslims, Christians, Sikhs--'You do not exist, and if you speak up, see what happens to you.' Then telling 10 per cent Adivasis, 'We will take your land whenever we want, and if you resist, we will shoot you,' and Dalits, 'You are complaining for nothing; everything is fine with the caste system.' That is what is being done to our motherland. Every single person in this country--regardless of religion, community, or gender--must feel: 'I belong here. I can walk freely in this country. I am loved, respected, and appreciated here, and my search for truth matters to the nation,'" he said.
Rahul further defined the core difference between the Western concept of freedom and the Indian concept of Swaraj, using the examples of Donald Trump and Mahatma Gandhi.
"'Swaraj' is often confused with the Western word 'freedom.' People think that Swaraj means freedom; that it means liberty or independence. No--Swaraj means rule over oneself (Swa par raj / self-governance). If you go to America and ask, 'Is Trump a free man?', everyone will say, 'Absolutely.' But if you ask, 'Does Trump rule over himself?', the clear answer is, 'No, he does not.' Whereas Gandhiji in a prison 80 years ago would say, 'I am not free, but I rule over myself. It is Swaraj,'" he explained.
He added, "Swaraj is an Indian concept, and it carries deep responsibility. It is a way of thinking, and it is an individual project. I cannot give you Swaraj. Whatever I do... in a Western sense, I can grant you freedom by saying, 'You are not in prison; I have given you freedom.' But I cannot give you Swaraj. Because Swaraj is your personal relationship with the universe. Swaraj is an individual path. And Gandhiji's conception of Swaraj was that every single person in this country should walk on this path."