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โ€œThose Who Try To Stop Indiaโ€™s Progress Will Either Step Aside Orโ€ฆโ€: RSS Chief

New Delhi: India has to grow big and its rise is incumbent upon the rise of โ€˜dharmaโ€™, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has said, in remarks interpreted by some rivals of the BJP as a pitch for โ€˜Akhand Bharatโ€™.

Likening Indiaโ€™s progress to that of a vehicle that only has accelerator and no brakes, the RSS chief said those trying to stop it will either step aside or be eliminated.

Mr Bhagwat made the comments at a gathering of saints and seers in Haridwar on Wednesday.

โ€œBharat ko ab bada hona hi haiโ€ฆ.Dharma ka utthan hi Bharat ka utthan haiโ€ฆBharat jo apne utthan ki patri pe chal pada hai usko paaye bina ab rukna nahin hai. Isko rokne wale ya toh hat jayengae ya mit jayengaeโ€ฆ.yeh nahin rukne wala. Yeh aisi gadi hai iska accelerator hai break nahin hai (India has to now grow big. The rise of โ€˜Dharmaโ€™ is the rise of India. Thereโ€™s no stopping India, which has launched itself on the track of rise and upliftment. Those who try to stop it will either step aside of be eliminated. This is a vehicle which has an accelerator but no brakes),โ€ Mr Bhagwat said amid chants of โ€˜Jai Shri Ramโ€™.

According to the excerpts of his speech shared by the RSS, Mr Bhagwat said Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh founder K B Hegdewar had assigned its workers the role of the โ€œchowkidarโ€ (watchman) for protecting the religion. The Shiv Sena, a BJP ally until a few years ago, welcomed Mr Bhagwatโ€™s comments, but said before realising the goal of โ€˜Akhand Bharatโ€™, the BJP must take control of Pakistan and rehabilitate Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley.

Sena spokesperson and MP Sanjay Raut also demanded Bharat Ratna for freedom fighter VD Savarkar, a highly polarising pro-Hindutva figure, who has been revered and demonised in equal measure.

โ€œFirst take Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) under control, then take control of Pakistan, form an Akhand Hindustan, then take Afghanistanโ€ฆ(or) territories which you think were part of India. No one has stopped you. This is the desire of the country. โ€œBut before that give Bharat Ratna to Veer Savarkar. You surely work on Akhand Hindustan, but before that ensure ghar-wapsi of Kashmiri Pandits. Let that happen with dignity,โ€ he said.

A section of the Hindu Right believes in the concept of Akhand Bharat, while referring to pre-partition India which streched to the present-day Pakistan, Bangladesh and even Myanmar.

Mr Raut said Mr Bhagwat is a revered figure for the Sena and his thought of โ€˜Akhand Bharatโ€™ is commendable.

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi wondered who stopped the RSS from from making โ€˜Akhand Bharatโ€™ a reality during the past eight years of the BJP rule.

โ€œWho stopped you from creating an Akhand Bharat in eight years? And what will happen in the next 15 years? What is Akhand Bharat? Does he (Bhagwat) realise that it includes Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and China occupied territory?โ€ Mr Owaisi told reporters in Ahmedabad.

In a swipe at Mr Bhagwat, Mr Owaisi said instead of talking about Akhand Bharat, the RSS leader should raise the issue of Indian territory currently occupied by China.

โ€œI want to tell Bhagwat Sahab to talk about areas which are occupied by China. Our Army cannot even do patrolling in those areas. Instead of talking about that, you are talking about Akhand Bharat. You should have done that in eight yearsโ€ said Mr Owaisi.

Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil of the NCP said India is united even now and no attempt should be made to disintegrate it.

โ€œIndia is a country where people belonging to different castes and religious faiths live together. India is integrated even today and will remain so. Nobody should try to disintegrate it,โ€ Walse Patil said, responding to Mr Bhagwatโ€™s remarks.

In his speech, Mr Bhagwat said India of the dreams of Vivekananda and Maharishi Aurobindo is nearing realisation. โ€œPeople say it may take 20-25 years, but from my experience I feel it will be realised in next 8-10 years. For this, the entire society has to work together. โ€œWe will talk about non-violence but we will carry a stick in our hand. We have no enmity in our mind but world heeds to power. Therefore, we should have power which is visible,โ€ Mr Bhagwat told the gathering.

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