“Unfortunately, Ansari received no support from any quarter. Even Muslims came out against him”, said Indresh Kumar. (Source: Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal) “Unfortunately, Ansari received no support from any quarter. Even Muslims came out against him”, said Indresh Kumar. (Source: Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)

Senior RSS leader Indresh Kumar on Saturday advised former Vice President Hamid Ansari to go to any country “where he feels secure”. At a press conference that Kumar addressed after a Raksha Bandhan programme organised by the Rashtriya Muslim Manch of which he is “margdarshak”, the RSS leader was asked about Ansari’s recent observation that Muslims in the country were not feeling secure.

“Unfortunately, Ansari received no support from any quarter. Even Muslims came out against him. He was secular for 10 years when he was in the chair. Now he has become a fundamentalist (kattarpanthi) Muslim,” Kumar said.

“He (Ansari) was Bharatiya, now he has become communal. He was a leader of all parties, but he has now become a Congressman. For all these 10 years, he didn’t feel insecure. He should point out any country in the world where Muslims are secure. I don’t feel Ansari should remain in trouble (taklif). So he should head for any country where he feels he will be secure,” Kumar added.

On Kashmir, Kumar said, “the Manch is organising Quit PoK” programmes from August 9 to 14. The people in PoK still love India. Even today, 24 Assembly and six Council seats in J&K have been kept vacant for PoK. The Manch demands that these seats should either be filled up by elections or through nominations in 2018. There is a Parliament resolution from the days of Congress rule to evict Pakistan from PoK. Time has come to take it forward.”

He added: “Lakhs of Muslims under the aegis of the Manch will burn the Pakistan flag in Kashmir on August 14.”

Kumar avoided making a direct comment on the stand taken by J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Article 35 A. “We will give our reaction when we decide. People know our feelings on the matter,” he said.

Asked about madarsas being asked to furnish proof of unfurling the national flag on August 15, Kumar said, “It’s not asking for proof. When parents tell their children that they would buy them a gift if they get good marks in exams, it is not encouragement? Similarly, the government is trying to encourage madarsas to honour the National Flag.”

On the widespread criticism of the RSS for not hoisting the national flag until recently, and for not participating in the freedom struggle, Kumar said, “Congress was a movement, not a party, before Independence and everybody was part of it. So to ask the RSS if it had participated in the movement is a bogus question. The RSS was wondering if Partition was temporary or permanent. Flag-hoisting was done at government offices and educational institutions, not at individual house, business establishments etc. But we too used to unfurl the flag at different places.”

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