Shun divisive ideology and embrace Constitution, Mahatma's ideals in centenary year: Sapkal to RSS

Mumbai, Sep 19 (PTI) Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal on Friday said the RSS should shun "divisive ideology" in its centenary year and adopt principles of equality, fraternity and social justice enshrined in the Constitution and propagated by Mahatma Gandhi.

Addressing a press conference here, he said RSS' centenary coincides with Gandhi Jayanti this year on October 2, which is symbolically significant.

He also accused Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of being a "broker" of the Election Commission of India (ECI).

"The RSS should now leave behind its toxic and sectarian ideology and accept the Constitution as the guiding document of the nation. (Former RSS chief late M S) Golwalkar himself wrote to Dr B R Ambedkar expressing that the RSS expected a Manusmriti-based framework, but India chose the Constitution. While their ideology speaks of 'we the selected few', our Constitution speaks of 'we the people'," Sapkal said.

For five decades after Independence, the RSS did not even hoist the national tricolour at its offices, he said.

"Their core text, 'Bunch of Thoughts' (written by Golwalkar), remains the ideological Bible of the Sangh and BJP. But time has come for them to accept constitutional values," he added.

Sapkal announced that under the initiative of Tushar Gandhi, great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, the Congress will organise a 'Constitution Satyagraha Yatra' from September 28 to October 2. The march will begin from Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur and culminate at Sevagram in Wardha.

"We will also present a copy of the Constitution to the RSS during this yatra," Sapkal said.

On the allegations of electoral malpractices levelled by Rahul Gandhi, Sapkal said the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition had produced evidence of vote theft in Maharashtra's Rajura assembly constituency.

"Despite FIRs being lodged, CM Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio, is acting as a broker for the Election Commission. He must stop this 'dalali' (middlemanship)," he said.

"He is nothing but a 'chor mukhyamantri'," the Congress leader charged.

Reacting to BJP MLA Gopichand Padalkar's comments against senior NCP leader Jayant Patil, Sapkal said, "Earlier, leaders used to have poets, thinkers and cultured people by their side, but Fadnavis has surrounded himself with indecent and perverse individuals. The remarks against Patil are the height of indecency. Fadnavis is a weak and unethical chief minister." Meanwhile, BJP corporators from Panvel Harish Keni, Ravikant Mhatre and Kailas Gharat joined the Congress along with their supporters in the presence of Sapkal. Earlier in the day, interviews were also conducted at Tilak Bhavan, the Congress's headquarters in Mumbai, for the appointment of party's taluka unit presidents, PTI MR NP