RSS pats Rajnath for stirring hornet's nest of 'secularism'

New Delhi, Jun 7 (UNI) Asserting that the word 'secularism' had lost its meaning in the country and had been made redundant, the RSS today commended BJP president Rajnath Singh for calling for a national debate on secularism and its aberration.

The RSS mouthpiece 'Organiser' noted that Mr Singh was provoked by the response of CPI(M) regarding the recently-concluded Karnataka Assembly polls where it saw BJP's triumph as a victory for communal elements and the defeat of Congress as a loss for secular forces.

Pointing out the fact that when the same electorate which votes for the Congress becomes secular and when they vote for the BJP they become communal, the paper questioned the basis for the CPI(M)'s prognosis. ''The media eating out of the hands of the establishment dutifully parrots this derivation,'' the paper said.

'Secularism' has actually become an abusive word and has become a political slogan of discredited power hungry lot in India bereft of all ideologies. Their only raison d'etre was the common greed for power, the paper noted.

Taking a potshot at CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechuri, the paper said he had never won any direct election but could sermonise before the cameras how the split in the secular votes led to victory of communal forces. The Left's harangue, it said should not be taken seriously because it had 'negligible electoral presence' of six per cent concentrated in two-and-a-half states but exercises 'veto power' in the ruling UPA government.

Regarding the cohabiting parties of the Congress like Muslim League, MIM, MQM and PDP, the paper pointed out that their parties too were talking of secularism and even Muslim and Christian outfits called themselves secular. It also alleged that the CPI(M) had built its political destiny singing hosannas to terrorists like Mohammad Afzal, Madhani and SIMI and religious outfits like Jamaat-e-Islami and Bangladeshi infiltrators.

The word 'secular' was brought to the Constitution through the backdoor during the Emergency and 'socialism' was another word incorporated. However, it was another matter that the Congress government under P V Narasimha Rao had adopted capitalism dictated by the World Bank, the RSS said.

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