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RSS meeting in Jabalpur: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said on Saturday that the organization is not against caste-based census, but it should not be politically motivated.
RSS meeting in Jabalpur: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said on Saturday that the organization is not against caste-based census, but it should not be politically motivated. Its objective should be to identify socially and economically backward communities and ensure their progress. Speaking to reporters on Saturday at the conclusion of the RSS’s three-day All India Executive Board meeting in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Hosabale said people often vote on the basis of caste or money and there is a need for awareness to end such practices. The RSS leader said that caste-based comments during elections are made only to get votes. Unity and harmony are necessary for the progress of the country. Caste arrogance is creating social discord. Apart from spiritual organizations, there are many castes and sects in Hindu society. To strengthen self-confidence in the society, the feeling of social harmony should increase.
Concern expressed over the spread of drugs
Responding to a question on caste enumeration, Hosabale said that the Supreme Court has already said that it can be done if necessary. He said that such data is useful for welfare schemes. It should not be used for political purposes as it will divide the society. Some castes have remained backward and there is a need to empower them. If data is needed to deliver the benefits of government schemes to them, then it should be collected. He said that RSS does not work on the basis of caste, but wherever data is useful for the country, it should be collected. He also expressed concern over the spread of narcotics and said that narcotics were being sold even near institutions and schools like IIM. He said that efforts at administrative, religious and social levels are necessary for the safety of the youth.
Conversion can be stopped through awareness
He said that to commemorate the centenary of the organization, about 80,000 Hindu conferences will be organized across the country on topics like environment, expansion of Hindutva, family awareness, social harmony and social issues. He said that volunteers will also conduct door-to-door contact campaigns this year. He said that conversion in the name of service is a matter of concern and organizations like Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram and Vishwa Hindu Parishad are working to stop it. He said that conversion among Sikhs is also increasing in Punjab, which can be stopped through awareness and coordination, thereby ensuring ghar wapsi (return of those converting to other religions to Hinduism). He said that infiltration, religious conversion and dominance of a single community are the three main factors destabilizing democracy. He stressed the need for population control law. He said that live-in relationships cannot be curbed merely by making laws. Hosabale said that this requires social consciousness and awareness.
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