NEW DELHI: A new television channel to educate India’s Muslims about Islam is being planned by people affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), not particularly known for having a generous attitude towards those who pursue that faith.The launch of Paigam TV is being planned in the months ahead of next year’s general election and follows on the heels of an Urdu newspaper launched recently by the Sangh known as Paigam Madre Watan (Message from the Mother-Tired of Saas-Bahu on TV? Just Wait for Sangh Parivar land). An FM channel is also part of the strategy. Girish Juyal, the paper’s chief editor and a former RSS pracharak, is behind the initiatives.He said the electronic media initiatives have nothing to do with the Sangh. “It is an individual effort and not a front for RSS or MRM (Muslim Rashtriya Manch),” Juyal said.The Muslim Rashtriya Manch, of which Juyal is the national organising convener, is headed by Indresh Kumar, a RSS ideologue who has been working to popularise the organisation among Muslims.The RSS, which backed Narendra Modi as the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate and whose cadres are said to be deeply involved in trying to ensure his victory in 2014, denied it had anything to do with the planned channels.“RSS does not fund any channels. MRM is an independent organisation with goodwill for RSS. Its activities are independent,” RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav said. But Indresh Kumar said the latest attempt at reaching out to Muslims had his support.“I have given a go-ahead that we should start an Urdu newspaper, use social media effectively and work on the idea of a TV channel. There is need to Indianise Muslims and change their mindset, both culturally and socially, while retaining their Muslim identity… Now Muslims are not opposing us (and) have come nearer to us. Muslims have been used and politically exploited, which needs to be change,” he said.Juyal, who is also chief editor of an Urdu news service to which 772 Urdu newspapers subscribe, said the channel will debut “as soon as we get clearance from the government”. “We have big plans and will also tap the internet. For the TV venture, huge investments will be needed, and business houses might join in, at a later stage,” he said. Juyal provided some details about the channel.“About 99 karyakartas will be shareholders of the company. They will be like-minded, and the TV channel shall be on the lines of Zee Salaam... We need to reach out to and educate Muslims about Islam,” he said.One of the intentions is to inform viewers about what’s happening elsewhere. “This is to inform minorities about bad things happening in other Muslim countries. The ideology of the Muslim Rashtriya Manch is: Muslim ko mukhyadhara se jodna (bring Muslims into the mainstream),” Juyal said.The MRM is organising a conference in Mumbai next month for which delegates have been asked to come prepared on various subjects. These include Islam and family planning, vote-bank politics and Muslims, Muslims and the media, Pakistan from the perspective of Indian Muslims, Islam and jihad, the Muslim view on cows, and madrassa education and its effect on Muslims, among others.According to his LinkedIn profile, Juyal is also the founder and organising convener of Himalaya Pariwar, which is affiliated to the RSS and is a federation of 750 NGOs. One of these NGOs is Anjuman Farzin-E-Hind, the objective of which is to work among Muslim youth and prepare them to be “upright, educated, loyal, disciplined Indians”.The Muslim Rashtriya Manch is present in 25 states and 318 districts, Juyal said. The outreach programmes run by MRM has helped reduce the hostility that Muslims feel toward the Sangh, Juyal said. “We, through our contact programmes, have been able to reach out to Muslims,” he said. “We have ended the negative image. Muslims now feel less hostile toward the RSS.”Will these new initiatives help the BJP get Muslims votes? “I can’t comment on this,” Juyal said. He also pointed to the presence of Muslim volunteers, introducing Mohamed Faiz Khan, who quit his job to join the RSS-backed Gau Raksha Kranti. “Faiz bhai is with us. He was a professor, he quit his job and is focusing all his efforts on saving cows,” said Juyal.