Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Chief (RSS) Mohan Bhagwat on Friday said that If someone is a Hindu he will be patriotic and that will be his basic character and nature. He further cited Mahatma Gandhi's remarks that his patriotism originates from his dharma.
The RSS supremo was addressing a crowd at an event held to release his book "Making of a Hindu Patriot: Background of Gandhiji's Hind Swaraj", authored by JK Bajaj and MD Srinivas.
"If someone is Hindu, he has to be patriotic, that will be his or her basic character and nature. At times you may have to awaken his or her patriotism but he (Hindu) can never be anti-India. But we have to be conscious of the fact that if one loves his country it doesn't mean land only, it means its people, rivers, culture, traditions and everything,” Bhagwat said.
Releasing the book, Bhagwat clarified that there is no need for speculation that the Sangh "is trying to appropriate Gandhiji, that is not the case, no one can appropriate great personalities like him."
The book consists of excerpts from Mahatma’s life from Porbandar to his visit to England and then South Africa. the authors have quoted Gandhi as having written to Leo Tolstoy that, “… my patriotism is patent enough, my love for India is ever growing but it is derived from my religion and is therefore in no sense exclusive.”
Bhagwat later underlined that Hinduism believes in the existence of unity. "Difference does not mean separatism and Gandhiji has suggested that Hinduism is the religion of all religions," he said.
