Interview with RSSideologue P Parmeswaran

P Parmeswaran, a veteran RSS ideologue, speaks on various issues relating to RSS, Politics and contemporary discourse

“RSS is a nationalist organization with grassroot activities”-Parmeswaran

Parameswaran, 84, is one of the oldest RSS ideologues. He is a prolific writer, a well known thinker, and an orator whose impact on intellectual life of Kerala is acknowledged even by his ideological adversaries. Veteran CPM leader late EMS Namboodiripad used to contest him in newspapers very frequently. Parmeshwaran founded Bharatiya Vichara Kendra in 1982 and he is its founder director. Kendra has made its place in intellectual horizon of Kerala. Earlier he was a Director of Deendayal Research Institute (New Delhi). Paremeswaran is an authentic voice in the RSS. An excerpts of a long interview with him by V Shukla for Narad:
Q1. The RSS has completed 85 years of its existence in September. How long have you been associated with the RSS and its activities?
Parmeswaran: I joined the RSS in 1946 as student in the university collage of Thiruvananthapuram. In 1950, I entered into the collage and as an RSS worker. I became RSS pracharak 1950 and am a pracharak till today. I have been a prachaak with different responsibilities and capacities.


Q2. Is there any difference between the RSS of 1950s and today’s RSS?

Parmeswaran: It is a difficult question. In the fundamental matters the organization remains the same but the language of discourse changes. And then questions that are being raised are different today. The new generation is different and taking all that into account there are changes in detail but not in fundamentals.

"In the fundamental matters the organization
remains the same but the language of discourse changes. "

Q.3. What inspired you to join the RSS and what is the inspiration of the younger generation to join the RSS?

Parmeswaran:As far as I am concerned, before the partition there was a mild movement of freedom struggle as the place I belong to was a princely state called – Travancore. There was some protest and the movement was led by the state Congress. I was not part of the state Congress. I am a staunch Hindu and had associations with Ramkrishna Mission. Before joining the RSS, I was part of the several movements in the state for the cause of Hindus and these were small steps before joining the RSS. The sentiment to get Bharat-free was the kindle behind me joining the RSS. Swami Abhyanand and other have also inspired me a lot. After that coming in contact with Guruji {Madhavrao Shadashiv Golwalkar} was the decisive moment of my life.

Q.4. So you have the experience of working with Guruji!

Parmeswaran:From 1946 to 1973, I have the privilege of working with Guruji in different capacity and responsibility. I used to meet him at least twice in a year. Once I stayed in the Nagpur for two months working under his guidance.

Q. 5.The RSS has evolved itself in its 85-year-long journey from its inception 1925 to 2010. Your comment!
Parmeswaran: In the sense when I joined the RSS, it only meant Sakha no other activities only sakha was the only activity to be participated. Whatever work you were suppose to do for Hindustan was to be done through Sakha and that was the only concern of the swayamsevak. Early 1950, Bharatiya Jana Sangh came into existence it got stuck there and there is no one in the present time to recall it. Somehow the choice came upon to me to become the organising secretary of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh that was the time when Deen Dayal Upadhyay was the general secretary and Shyama Prashad Mukherjee was at the helm. I worked in a very close association with Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay.

"Whatever work you were suppose to do for Hindustan was to be done through Shakha and that was the only concern of the swayamsevak."

Q.6. There are lots of intellectual activities are being done by several organisations affiliated with the RSS. How much they are able to have impact over masses, intelligentia and others? How much Vivekanand Kendra is able to have impact?

Parmeswaran: It is having a deep impact on the minds of the people of the country. However, Vivekanand Kendra is not a part of the RSS movement. It was started by -- he was deputed by Guruji in the centenary year of Swami Vivekananda. There was a small effort to set up a memorial on the rock in Kanya Kumari. But there was no idea of a magnificent memorial but some of the workers decided to put a plaque on the rock where Swami Vivekanand mediated. Some of the Christian organisations tried to occupy it and they started saying that it is not Kanya Kumari but Kannaka Merry. They had the idea to have a big church out there on the rock, they had forcibly removed the plaque from there and put a cross there. Our swayamsewaks did not know how to swim but Christian fishermen had expertise in that. So we had to get swayamsevaks from Kozikode and other places. They removed the cross from there and the government also intervened to declare it a Vivekanand memorial. This is the first time that the RSS came into picture at national level.

Q. 7.The RSS has always been subject to controversy by politicians, religious organitions and the government. What do you have to say?

Parmeswaran: No one blames the RSS rather it is appreciated. See one thing is clear from the beginning that the RSS was not tom toming or bragging for its activities. It was silently working for organising the Hindu society in the most natural fashion. But the growing strength of the RSS or the Hindutva movement created a sort of fear psychosis for the political parties. If RSS becomes a big political force that may harm the other organisations. So this thing forces them for such a propoganda against the RSS which was started Jawahar Lal Nehru onwards. He was the main spokesperson against the RSS. A person of his stature definitely brought some harm to the RSS as despite Sardar Ballabh Bhai Patel giving clean chit to the RSS, Nehru banned it for the Gandhi thing. Nehru was always offensive against the RSS. He called Bharatiya Jana Sangh the illegitimate child of the RSS despite the fact that there was no BJS in Kerala and he had addressed several rallies in Kerala with the same language. I heard several such rallies.

"If RSS becomes a big political force that may
harm the other
organisations. So this thing forces them for such a
propoganda against the
RSS
which was started Jawahar Lal Nehru onwards.
He was the main
spokesperson
against the RSS. A person of his stature
definitely brought
some harm to the RSS
as despite Sardar Ballabh Bhai
Patel giving clean chit
to the RSS, Nehru banned
it for the Gandhi
thing. Nehru was always offensive
against the RSS. He called
Bharatiya
Jana Sangh the illegitimate child of
the RSS despite the fact that
there
was no BJS in Kerala and he had
addressed several rallies in Kerala with the
same language. "

Q.8. For the first time the RSS is dragged into the act of violence. Some of its workers are named in terror links. Your comment!

Parmeswaran: It clearly means that the Congress wants to defame RSS, as it is afraid of its growing popularity. The Congress is worried of the growing strength of the BJP, which draws its strength from the RSS. The Congress is clearly worried and afraid of loosing power. The RSS is getting very popular. More than one lakh people gathered recently in Kerala to listen our leaders. It is not only in any particular state and the city but the popularity of the city is growing all across the country. The BJP is only political alternative of the Congress and the former is growing and gaining more ground, expanding its social base. The BJP is the supporter of the Hindutva movement. So the Congress, which is not a democratic organisation, is worried. It does not draw its strength from people. It is managed and manipulated, which can not face democratic strength of the RSS at the grassroots. So it is sheer political jealousy, rivalry and fear of loosing power. They want to retain power at any cost. So they are tarnishing RSS’ image. The RSS was earlier called fascist, it became communal then fundamentalist and now terrorist.

"The Congress wants to defame RSS,
as it is afraid of its growing popularity. The Congress is worried of the growing strength of the BJP, which draws its strength from the RSS. The Congress is clearly worried and afraid of loosing power. "

Q. .9Does violence has any place in the RSS’ ideology?

Parmeswaran: It depends upon how you define it. I have got the fundamental right to defend myself. Even criminal law gives you the right to defend yourself. But on its own, the RSS will not take it to violence. We don’t accept violence but if someone forces on us, we will defend ourselves.
Q.10. Don’t you think that campaign against the RSS is going to boomerang on the Congress?

Parmeswaran: It is definitely going to boomerang on them as political parties think about the next election only . We don’t think about the next election. There must be a complete understanding on nationalism and understanding for the cause of the nation.