india

Updated: Feb 23, 2020 08:05 IST

The Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad on Saturday called for a ban on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and challenged it to fight elections directly.

Chandrashekhar Azad made the comments from Reshimbagh Ground near the RSS headquarters in the eastern part of Nagpur and the venue for the customary annual Vijayadashami speech of chief.

Nagpur Police had denied permission to the Bhim Army to hold a workers’ rally close to the RSS headquarters that led them to move Bombay High Court.

The Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court allowed it to hold the rally on certain conditions that it would not be a political meeting and there should not be any inflammatory speeches.

The high court also warned that any violation of its conditions will invite criminal action and contempt of court proceeding.

The Bhim Army chief, however, utilised the occasion to fire salvos against the RSS and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Azad said the RSS, which is the BJP’s ideological fountainhead, should fight elections to taste the actual public support for the “Manuvadi” agenda of the Sangh, instead of having a political front in the BJP.

“I want to give a suggestion to the Sangh chief: take out the veil of lies and come to the field. It is a democracy. Contest direct elections with your agenda and people will tell you if Manusmriti or Constitution will run the country,” he thundered.

Azad also challenged RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for a debate over the issue of reservation as he renewed his call for a shutdown on February 23 against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

He said the new citizenship law, the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR) are the RSS’ agenda and accused the rightwing organisation of using the BJP to fire from its shoulder.

Azad also appealed to the Maha-Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra to not allow NPR in the state “in the interest of the people”.

He said there will be a time when India will have a government of ‘Bahujans’ (other backward class people) and the others will be given reservations.

Referring to the Nagpur Police’s contention that clashes could erupt if the Bhim Army uses “foul languages” against the RSS, Azad said two ideologies will always clash.

“While we believe in the Constitution, they believe in Manusmriti. This country runs only on the Constitution and not on any other ideology. This Manuvad will end in the country only if a ban is imposed on the RSS,” he further said.