Sangh chief in feet-wash row after tribal women are forced to clean his toes

By Piyush Srivastava





A section of Ayodhya's sadhus was upset with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat when more than a dozen tribal women were made to wash his feet during a function at Ram Janki Temple in the holy town on Thursday.



While some local sadhus described it as a 'sin', the Sangh dismissed the criticism and called it 'ignorance of tribal customs'.



RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav said it was customary for tribal men and women to welcome their guests by washing their feet.



‘Sadhvis’ washing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat’s feet in Ayodhya on Thursday

'If anyone is interpreting it as an insult to women, all we can say is that there is widespread unfamiliarity with tribal customs.



'The Sarsanghchalak (Bhagwat) was a guest at a tribal training camp. He spent time with them and shared their food. No insult was implied in any gesture and none taken. People are trying to rake up an unnecessary controversy,' Madhav pointed out.



Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) organisational general secretary Dinesh Chandra and Ramjanmabhoomi Nyas member Ram Vilas Vedanti were also present with Bhagwat when the programme was held during the Ram Katha training camp.



'Tribal women from Assam and Jharkhand have come here as trainee sadhvis.



'They are learning to tell the story of Ramayan in religious gatherings. The practice of washing feet is not new,' Vedanti clarified.



He revealed that there were 21 women and 30 men in the present batch. 'This year, Bhagwat was the chief guest. Other persons who had attended the function as chief guests include VHP chief Ashok Singhal, VHP leader Praveen Togadia and me.



'The training camp was started in 1993,' he added.

A section of sadhus of Ayodhya, however, held a meeting on Saturday and condemned Bhagwat.



'If anyone is interpreting it as an insult to women,all we can say is that there is widespread unfamiliarity with tribal customs.'

Acharya Purushottamachari, the mahant of Ayodhya's Baikunth Bhavan said: 'We have never heard of any such ritual (washing feet) in Ayodhya.



'It was a practice prevalent in the courts of the gods, because they were supreme. Even Lord Krishna in Dwapar-yug had washed the feet of his friend Sudama.



'But in kalyug, humans have no such spiritual authority. So, this act will be considered as an insult to women.'



Vedanti countered this argument by claiming that Bhagwat was the supreme protector of all Hindus in the world.



'Moreover, since we consider our guests equivalent to god, the trainee sadhvis washed his feet and performer his aarti. Some demons in the guise of sadhus are criticising the function,' he added.



Mahant Gyan Das, a leader of Akhara Parishad, also struck a critical note, saying: 'Nothing can be more sinful than asking women to wash feet.



'This incident has exposed the hypocrisy of the RSS. As it is, women are prohibited in the Sangh. Now, it is further clear that they have an utter disregard for women.'



Continuing in the same vein, he said: 'Hindu holy texts show every woman as a goddess in the form of a mother, a wife or daughter. B

'ut people like Bhagwat don't understand such things. They don't even understand that women should be respected.'



Raj Gopal Mandir priest Kaushal Kishore Saran concurred, adding: 'Bhagwat has proved that the RSS resorts to fraud in the garb of religiosity.'



Talking about a way Bhagwat could atone for his sin, Purushottamachari said: 'This sin will haunt the RSS chief for a long time. But he can partially atone for his misdeed by washing the feet of Ayodhya's beggars.'



