‘Hindu Rashtra is inclusive’: RSS leader Sunil Ambekar speaks with Madhu Trehan (Part 2)

Sunil Ambekar is a pracharak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the national organising secretary of its student affiliate, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. He has just published a book, The RSS: Roadmap for the 21st Century, which details the thought and organisational setup of the Sangh. 

In this second part of a two-part conversation with Newslaundry editor-in-chief Madhu Trehan, Ambekar explains the Sangh’s conception of Hindu Rashtra: “A nation that is inclusive and that guarantees no faith-based discrimination.” The imagination of Hindu Rashtra, he adds, includes all those who are born in this country, whose forefathers were from this country, and who contributed to the development of this country.

Is there a place for dissent in Hindutva’s idea of the nation. “There is full place for dissent everywhere. Even in JNU. Even after the February 9 incident, everyone has continued to register dissent,” he responds, referring to a 2016 student protest at the Jawaharlal Nehru University that led to a government crackdown. 

Ambekar claims that India is the most tolerant of dissent right now. “To disagree in our country is the beauty of our democracy,”’ he says. 

Also Watch: ‘Hindutva respects diversities’: RSS leader Sunil Ambekar speaks with Madhu Trehan (Part 1)