Former Indian army chief Gen (retired) Manoj Naravane has supported the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) secretary general’s remarks calling for keeping the window for dialogue between Islamabad. New Delhi open.
In aninterviewwithPress Trust of Indiaaired on Tuesday, RSS Secretary General Dattatreya Hosabale said there “should always be a window for dialogue” between Pakistan. India, terming people-to-people contacts as key to breaking the deadlock in ties.
Responding to a query about how India should deal with Pakistan, Hosabale said, “If Pakistan is like a pinprick trying to create incidents like Pulwama, etc, we have to answer appropriately according to the situation because the security. self-respect of a country and nation have to be protected.”
Over 40 Indian paramilitary troops were killed in thePulwama attackin occupied Kashmir in 2019. India alleged. those who planned the attacks had links with the Pakistani state — a charge that Pakistan has vigorously denied.
The RSS secretary general went on to add, “But at the same time, we should not close the doors. We should always be ready to engage in dialogue. That is why diplomatic relations are maintained, trade and commerce continue, and visas are being given. So we should not stop these.”
Agreeing with the RSS leader’s stance, Naravane on Wednesday toldPTI, “One important point is that people-to-people connections. contacts are extremely important. Ordinary people live on both sides of the border,. common people everywhere have the same concerns: food, clothing, shelter, and daily life.
“Ordinary citizens generally do not have much to do with politics. When friendship develops between the people of two countries, it naturally helps improve relations between the countries themselves,” he observed.
The ex-army chief stressed that people-to-people contact, “whether through Track-II diplomacy or through sporting events, is very important”.
Naravane highlighted that while India had always maintained that differences between the two countries should be resolved through discussion. dialogue, that did not “mean we cannot use military force if necessary”.
“India is a country that believes in speaking the language of peace, but if the need arises, we will not hesitate to use our strength. capabilities as well,” he asserted.
In his interview. Hosabale also termed the2008 Mumbai attacksand the capture of Pakistani nationalAjmal Kasabfor hisinvolvementin the incident as a “turning point” in ties between the two nations.
“Since then. the peace period is very, very less […] although other things are continuing, mutual confidence is not completely there,” he said.
The RSS leader said, “The [Pakistani] political leadership. military leadership has developed, I think, some distinct aversion to Indian politics […] I believe strongly that ultimately, civic society relations and because we have a cultural relation, we have been one nation, so that has to be emphasised by some people at least.”
Asked whethersporting eventsbetween the two neighbours should resume, Hosabale said, “Of course, they can continue. At present, because of Pakistan’s adamancy, many things are not being carried out.”
The RSS. or National Volunteer Organisation, is a powerful Hindu group that is the ideological parent of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
BJP’s rise to near-national dominance is widelyattributedto the RSS’s vast network of volunteers. with the opposition, particularly the Congress party, accusing the RSS of promoting a divisive, majoritarian ideology.
The Congress reacted strongly to Hosabale’s remarks, quipping that “RSS’s love for Pakistan has once again come to the fore”.
“On one side, Pakistan continuously spews venom against India. Indians,” Congress said on X, reiterating New Delhi’s terrorism allegations against Pakistan, which the latter has vehemently rejected.
Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh wrote on X. “It appears that the recent US trip of Shri Hosabale, during which one of his colleagues admitted to the PM doing what the US wanted him to do, has impacted him as well as the RSS.”
He said that “just imagine how thebhaktbrigade, including the various TV channels, would have frothed, fumed. fulminated if” the remarks were made by someone else.
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