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Sudarshan kicks up fresh controversy

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief K S Sudarshan has called for "Indianisation of Islam" even while the controversy over his advocacy of Indian churches severing foreign links is still raging.

"The Muslims in India should realise that they belong to the same ancestry. They need to adopt to Indian culture," Sudarshan told a public gathering in Bhubaneswar Friday night.

"If Muslims in Indonesia can adopt Sanskrit names, why can't there be a Mohammed Prasad or Mohammed Das in India," the RSS chief asked while pointing out that Salabeg, a Muslim poet, had penned several songs in praise of Lord Jagannath in the 14th century.

Ninety per cent of Indonesian Muslims who had Hindu ancestors still studied the Ramayan and Mahabharat and had not abandoned their Hindu roots, he claimed, saying efforts like this alone could ensure India's unity.

Reiterating his earlier call to Indian churches to sever their links with foreign churches and become "swadeshi", Sudarshan claimed his views had been supported by many Christians.

"The Marthoma Church in Kerala, which is a completely swadeshi church, is an example of how it can be done," he said.

Comparing the nation to a family where all members were knit together through blood relationship, Sudarshan said a country would thrive on the basis of the same land, same culture and same ancestors.

Stating that four theories -- two religious and two economic, wanted to control the world, Sudarshan said these had split the world into two.

Elaborating, he said, "While Christianity, projecting Jesus Christ as the only way to salvation, had divided the world into believers and heathens, Islam dubbed those not believing in Allah as kafirs ".

Similarly, communism split the world into haves and have nots, while capitalism propagated the theory of survival of the fittest, he said.

Criticising those who dubbed the RSS as anti-Christian, anti-Muslim and anti-Dalit, Sudarshan said despite their opposition the organisation continued to grow.

"We are growing because our basic tenets of thought and action are not based on negativism," he said.

He said those opposed to the Sangh Parivar did not want any change in the system so that they could continue to exploit the people.

"They don't accept the theory that India was a Hindu rashtra but still accept the British theory that it is a sub-continent," Sudarshan added.

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