Since our Independence in 1947, liberals, leftists and communists have always questioned the role of RSS in the freedom movement. In recent times, it became a burning topic between intellectuals when Indian Prime Minister Modi mentioned it in the “Mann ki Baat” program.

A similar incident took place in another function organized by RSS where former president Sri Pranab Mukherjee was present. CPI(M) ruler wrote on this topic in his article “What is Hindu Rashtra?” where he claimed that “RSS virtually boycotted and at times even opposed the freedom struggle”.

Why did this question have become so important even after 73 years of freedom from the British rule, is an interesting topic in itself. Moreover, who has kept this question alive for such long time and what is their purpose? And let us look at some of the prominent names of people to keep this question alive.

Marxist historian Sumit Sarkar mention in his article “Khaki shirts and saffron flag” that RSS remained aloof from the civil disobedience movement. K. L. Malhotra, an ideologue of the CPI, said that the “RSS never participated in the in the freedom struggle” in his article “Defeat the RSS fascist Designs”. The Wire recently published an article by Pawan Kulkarni stating that “throughout the freedom struggle, the RSS was suberservient to the British with its leadership prohibiting participation in the mass movement.

Is there any truth in these allegations? To answer this question, we need to understand the person who was the founding father of RSS, Sri Keshav Baliram Hedgewar. During the 60^th birth anniversary of celebration of Queen Victoria, sweets were distributed in the government schools in India. It is ironic that sweets of celebration was distributed in the colonized state i.e. India for a celebratory event of the colonizer. Sri Keshav Baliram Hedgewar was then only eight years old child but he refused to eat the sweet and threw it in the dustbin. If we look into our own lives, how many of us were even aware of political situations when we were 8 years old?

In 1901, twelve year old Dr. Hedgewar boycotted coronation ceremony of King Edward VIII. He did not stop here but gathered few likeminded friends tried to replace the Union Jack (British flag) with Shivaji’s saffron flag. In 1908, Dr. Hedgewar organized to greet the inspectors of schools with “Vande Mataram” which led to mass scale expulsion of the students of the batch. Two months later, everyone apologized for the act but not childe Hedgewar.

Due to such activities, Dr. Hedgewar was not allowed to pursue his studies in British-run government schools. Therefore he had to go to Calcutta (present day Kolkata) to study medicine in National Medical college run by Indian nationals. His revolutionary activities continued in Kolkata and joined Anushilan Samiti. He soon became known as “Koken” within his circle.

The British was well aware of his activities and capabilities. Therefore they had forbidden him to join the British medical corps during WW1 thinking that he would gain war experience during that period. They used unfair means to black list him by giving reason such his involvement of revolutionary groups and that the medical degree is invalid since it was acquired in non-British run medical colleges.

Though the reasons were flimsy on its ground, the British were accurate in their analysis since Dr. Hedgewar led the first disinformation campaign jolting the British government at that time and organized public meeting in the presence of Surendra Nath Banerjee. Later on, he also forced the British government to recognize degrees granted by Indian-run colleges by conducting entrance exams.

After the massacre of peaceful protestors in Jallianwala Bagh in 1919, Dr. Hedgewar decided to join politics. He joined the congress party and became the secretary of the congress committee of the Central Province. His political career had hardly started when he became disillusioned by Gandhi ji for his support for the Khilafat movement. Another group of people known as Tilakites led by Moonje and Kharpade too became disillusioned by Gandhi ji and opposed the non-cooperation movement. But this did not stop Dr. Hedgewar from plunging into the non-cooperation movement led by Gandhi ji. Dr. Hedgewar made such volatile speeches during the non-cooperation movement that he was found guilty of sedition in 1921. During the defense at the court hearings, Dr. Hedgewar decided to plead his own case. After few hearings from Dr. Hedgewar, the judge declared that “His defense is even more seditious than his original speech!” and sent him to Ajani jail in Nagpur for one year. 

A newspaper named “The Maharastra” quoted Dr. Hedgewar’s statement made in the court on 10^th July 1921. “India belongs to the Indians. We therefore demand Independence. That the British have been carrying this despotic rule of ort beloved country is obvious to everyone.

What law is there that gives one country to rule over another? We demand nothing short of complete independence. Till we achieve it, we cannot be at peace”. It is to be noted that while Gandhi ji asked for non-cooperation among Indians with the British, Dr. Hedgewar demanded complete Independence as far back as 1921.

After his release from jail, he received a heroic welcome by the Indian people in Nagpur. Immediately Dr. Hedgewar started to prepare anti-Simon protest, though led by congress, using the RSS workers in Central Province.  It would come as a surprise that president of congress party in Central Province was Hare Krishna Joshi who was also a RSS sangha chalak of the Wardha Unit.

The RSS was immensely happy that congress finally had the aim of “Complete Independence” for India in the Civil Disobedience Movement in 1930. Dr. Hedgewar and central office bearers of RSS relinquished their posts and decided to join the movement. It is during this time that post of Sara sangha chalak of RSS given to Dr. Paranjape.

An English daily named Hitavada reported on 24^th July, 1930 that an enormous crowd had assembled at the Nagpur railway station to send of Dr. Hedgewar and his companions for Satyagraha. The Civil Disobedience Movement was launched in the Central Province as Forest Satyagraha. Though it is often not mentioned in our history books, the RSS workers participated in the event in a massive scale in Central Province where RSS cadre Martanda Jog was appointed as captain of volunteers to impart training.

For all these activities, Dr. Hedgewar was arrested on July 21, 1930 and sentenced to 6 months jail with 3 months of rigorous imprisonment. On the other hand, Gandhi ji ended the movement with pact known as Gandhi-Irwin pact which turned down any
(1) Demand for any public enquiry into police excesses and
(2) Commutation of death sentences of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev and other political prisoners.

Soon the RSS organization received other set-backs from the British government. In 1932, the government sent a circular banning any government officers from associating with the RSS. Another circular in 1933, banned employees and teachers from municipal bodies from associating with RSS. What would have prompted a colonizer government to act this way? Clearly, the educated people were getting seduced by the work of RSS in such as a scale that circulars had to be published with prohibition orders.

In face of such unjustified acts, Mr. V D Kolte introduced a One rupee cut motion in the budget session of central province legislative assembly to debate the allegations made by the British government against RSS.

In 1939, when WWII broke out, RSS outrightly rejected any kind of recruitment drive of Indian soldiers to fight for the cause of Britain. On the other hand, the man who is supposed to be the epitome of Ahimsa or non-violence was actively recruiting Indian soldiers to fight for the British Empire. RSS believed that WWII was the right moment to put pressure on the British government as they were under heavy attack from the Axis powers. On the other hand, a certain section of people under Gandhi ji believed that they should help Britain during their crisis and later, after the war is over, beg the British government to go out of India.

In spite of Gandhi ji choosing to follow a different path to freedom, RSS continued to organize camps, conducting drills in different parts of the country. These activities were done at such vigorous enthusiasm that the British government had to pass an ordinance in August 5, 1940 prohibiting such activities. Their main goal was to stop RSS from spreading their ideas of snatching freedom from British government from the minds of Indian people.

In 1942, the congress party launched the Quit India movement. RSS saw as another moment where the British could be forced out of India. RSS sevaks all over India jumped into the congress processions and even attacked police stations. The British government did not take this lightly and many of the RSS cadres were arrested, literature seized and gave life imprisonment sentences and the main organizers were hanged.

Finally, we look back into the question “Is there any truth in these allegations that RSS did not play any role in freedom movement?” The answer is clearly NO. The RSS played an important role in different capacities in our freedom struggle. But then, why were the Indian people given a wrong perspective by the Marxist historians?

Dr. Rakesh Sinha aptly points out the weakness of the Sangh. He said that Sangh’s weakness is not the participation of RSS cadres in the freedom movement, but the lack of intellectual rigor among its own academia. Unlike the RSS, communist privilege flow from not from the participation in the nationalistic movement but from a strong contingent of committed academics.

Rakesh Kalita is a writer and is based in Guwahati, Assam. He is the General Secretary of Intellectual Forum of North East.