NEW DELHI: Jagadguru Swami Rambhadracharya on Monday criticised Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat‘s “don’t rake up Ram Temple-like issues elsewhere” remark.
Expressing displeasure over the RSS chief’s remark, Rambhadracharya said Bhagwat did not say “anything good” and that he was influenced by “some form of appeasement politics”.
He also criticised Bhagwat for not saying anything about the violence that occurred in Sambhal or the “continued atrocities” being faced by Hindus there.
“It is his personal opinion. He did not say anything good. This is very unfortunate. Mohan Bhagwat is not saying anything about the violence that occurred there (in Sambhal) and the continued atrocities against Hindus. He seems to have been influenced by some form of appeasement politics,” said Jagadguru Swami Rambhadracharya on Sambhal violence.
Earlier, Bhagwat had warned against what he said was an “unacceptable” trend of wannabe Hindu leaders raking up “Ram temple-like” disputes at various sites.
“India should set an example of how different faiths and ideologies can live together in harmony,” Bhagwat said against the backdrop of new controversies surrounding the origins of places of worship, including Shahi Jama Masjid in UP’s Sambhal and Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan.
The RSS chief was speaking in Pune as part of a lecture series on the theme “Vishwaguru Bharat“.
He said the solution to reducing friction in society was to hark back to ancient culture. “Extremism, aggressiveness, forcefulness, and insulting others’ gods is not our culture,” he declared. “There is no majority or minority here; we all are one. Everyone should be able to practise their way of worshipping in this country,” Bhagwat said.
Who is Guru Rambhadracharya?
Guru Rambhadracharya was born as Giridhar Mishra, in the small village of Shandikhurd, in Uttar Pradesh, India. He is widely respected as a spiritual leader, philosopher and scholar.
His spiritual journey commenced in his early years and he showed remarkable talent in both academics and religious studies. With a strong grasp of Sanskrit scriptures, he quickly earned acclaim as a knowledgeable scholar of Vedic literature.
In 2003, he served as an expert witness in the Allahabad high court, defending Lord Ram as he was posed as an infant, or Ram Lalla. The case regarding Ayodhya’s disputed site was the one in order.
Citing Hindu scriptures and Tulasidasa’s works, he refuted the opposition’s claims, ultimately influencing the 2010 verdict in favour of Lord Ram.
As mentioned on the website, “In his affidavit, he cited the ancient Hindu scriptures (Vālmīki’s Rāmāyaṇa, Rāmatāpanīya Upaniṣad, Skanda Purāṇa, Yajurveda, Atharvaveda, et cetera) describing Ayodhyā as a city holy to Hindus and the birthplace of Rāma. He cited verses from two works of Tulasīdāsa – eight verses from the Dohā Śataka which describe the destruction of a temple and construction of mosque at the disputed site in 1528 CE, and one verse from Kavitāvalī which mentions the disputed site.”
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