'RSS supported Indira Gandhi during Bangla separation war of 1971'

Shillong, Jan 24: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Monday said it had extended support to the Congress during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971.

The RSS took out its `Path Sanchalan` (procession) here in the capital of Christian-majority state Meghalaya with a mission to unite India.

The Sangh also appealed to the people in the state not to believe media reports or allegations made by "divisive forces" about the organization.

"The RSS is a nationalist organisation. We had also supported then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 in the interest of India," RSS pracharak Sunil Mohanty in-charge of Arunachal Pradesh told journalists here in Meghalaya.

"Any political party or any social organisation which is contributing towards the nationalistic cause, definitely the RSS will help. But for instance, if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) does anything which harms the national integration, how can we support?" he said.

Recently, a Meghalaya Congress minister Zenith M. Sangma had alleged that the RSS is helping the BJP in Meghalaya keeping in mind the 2018 Assembly polls.

Nearly 800 RSS cadres - mostly from the indigenous Khasi and Jaintia communities from 41 villages in 10 districts across the Khasi and Jaintia Hills areas - donning its new uniform - brownish trousers and white shirts and armed with sticks marched from Madan Iewrynghep to Gorkha Pathshala Higher Secondary School playground.

For the second consecutive year, the RSS cadres took out a march in Shillong to pay tribute to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his 120th birth anniversary

"People should not judge the RSS without understanding its work. You should not develop any `fear` about the `socio-cultural` body," Mohanty told the gathering.

Exhorting the tribesmen in northeastern states not to judge the RSS without understanding its work, Mohanty said, "There are a lot of misgivings about the RSS. But the RSS aims to unite the country. You may belong to any group or any religion, but we are all brothers and sisters of India."

He said the RSS works for character building of the individual, and through these, to build up a strong organisation in order to take the country to the pinnacle of development.

"Development should be all-round. A developed India will bring peace in the world, and India has tremendous quality to lead the world," Mohanty said.