Nagpur: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, in an address to Kashmiri Pandits, said once “you go back to the state, you will not have to face any persecution like earlier”.
“The Pandits have been forced to leave the valley on eight occasions now for the same fundamentalism. Now, if they return they will go back as Hindus, patriots and completely assured of their security,” said Bhagwat.
He was addressing an online meet as part of a series of events to mark Navreh — the Kashmiri new year that falls on April 2. Bhagwat’s speech, which was delivered on Sunday, has been posted on the RSS’s Vishwa Samvad Kendra Facebook page.
Bhagwat said anyone harbouring any ill-feeling or trying to harm the Pandits will have to face dire consequences. “They can settle in such a manner that no one will be able to disrupt them again,” he said.
The event was organized by Sanjeevani Sharda Kendra, an association of Kashmiri Pandits. The Kendra, which is affiliated to the RSS, has also issued a resolution that Pandits would celebrate the next Navreh in Kashmir with their near and dear ones and they would also work for establishing peace in the state.
Bhagwat said the “people who lived with the Pandits earlier are still there”. “Their hatred may have come down, who knows. However, the ill-feeling needs to go completely,” he added. The RSS chief said its also time to accept what happened in Kashmir was wrong and to move on.
In another video speech related to Kashmir, Sah Sarkaryavah Arun Kumar talks about how the RSS had been proactive in spreading awareness about Kashmir. “The RSS strived to maintain the cultural link of Hindus with Kashmir. Had it been severed, the militants’ agenda would have been fulfilled. This included taking pilgrimages despite the high risk. After that when the terrorists started targeting Muslims, even they were provided relief,” he said.
