india

Updated: Jun 01, 2017 09:10 IST

The Muslim arm of the Rashtriya Swayamsevask Sangh (RSS) has passed a resolution for merger of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Kailash Mansarovar with India.

Kailash Mansarovar, a pilgrimage site for Hindus, is in Tibet.

The Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM) at its two-day national executive meeting that concluded over the weekend in Uttarakhand’s Roorkee resolved to push the Centre for the unification of the two Kashmirs to bring peace in the Valley and in the region.

Both resolutions expected to stoke a controversy are in line with the Sangh’s position on Kashmir and China. The RSS has been advocating a more muscular Pakistan and China policy.

It urged the government to revisit ties with China after Beijing provoked New Delhi by giving Chinese names to six places in Arunachal Pradesh and objected to the Dalai Lama visiting Tawang. China’s investment in PoK through the CPEC, which passes through sovereign Indian territory, has also nettled the Sangh.

The BJP mentor threw its weight behind the government, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day speech in 2016 made a reference to Balochistan and has been advocating the unification of PoK with India.

MRM’s national convenor Mohd Afzal told HT that the organisation will push for the merger of PoK with India using “diplomatic means or through the use of force”.

“This is the only way to end the Kashmir problem; to ensure peace along the border and an end to stone-pelting and violence in the Valley,” Afzal said.

He said the government must also ensure that India should get Kailash Mansarovar, a holy place for Hindus.

The MRM passed four more resolutions to support education and skill development of the Muslim community, ending the practice of triple talaq, making beef consumption illegal and construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya.

The MRM has been lending its support to the BJP-RSS campaign for a uniform civil code and discontinuing the practice of triple talaq (divorce uttered thrice in writing or verbally).

“There is no support from the All India Muslim Personal Law Board for women given triple talaq. These women and their children are left to fend for themselves. The MRM has decided to create a fund for such families to ensure their education and empowerment,” Afzal said.

The MRM has been rallying support for the campaign to end beef consumption even as the BJP-led NDA government has been accused of imposing food choices on people.

“We will organise ‘milk parties’ during the month of Ramzan, beginning on May 26, and send the message of ‘no beef’ to our community members,” Afzal said.

Another contentious issue that the MRM has agreed to back is the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

The issue has been a flashpoint between communities after the Babri Masjid was razed to pave the way for the construction of a Ram temple at the site, which Hindus believe is the birthplace of Lord Ram.

“Starting May 12 in Meerut, over 3,000 meetings will be held across the country to create awareness about the five resolutions that were passed and to gather support,” Afzal told HT.