He also spoke about rising intolerance. “There is no balance, as people go to one extreme, which is leading to conflict. It is causing damage,’’ he said. “Fundamentalism has risen, egoism has gone up’’.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat
Article 370, which gave special status to the erstwhile status of Jammu and Kashmir, was scrapped and there was a systemic change as well in the region, RSS chief Dr Mohan Bhagwat said on Saturday.
In an address at Jammu University’s General Zorawar Singh Auditorium, Bhagwat, on his maiden visit to J&K after abrogation of special status to the erstwhile state under Article 370 and its bifurcation into two Union Territories, said a change in the system alone will not bring closure… people too will need to bring a change in their mindset in accordance with the system they had desired.
He also spoke about rising intolerance. “There is no balance, as people go to one extreme, which is leading to conflict. It is causing damage,’’ he said. “Fundamentalism has risen, egoism has gone up’’.
On removal of special status to J&K, he said, “370 hi hataya nahi, vyavastha mein bhi parivartan hua (not only was Article 370 scrapped but there was change in the system as well).”
He did not mention bifurcation of of the erstwhile state.
Pointing out that the system will reflect the objective, situation and nature of the people living within it, he said many people struggled against it, as they thought it was not in accordance with their ideals. Dr Syama Prasad Mukherjee, he said, had come to J&K with this one motive during the Praja Parishad agitation and many people sacrificed their lives, keeping that objective in mind.
“We have seen that objective being achieved (with the removal of special status), and you people appear to be happy in your hearts,” he said.
However, he said, “just changing the system will not do, as people running the system also come from the same society. Aur jis prakar ka samaaj hai, uss prakar ke vyakti sarvatra rehtey hein (and the kind of society we have, similar kind of people exist everywhere).”
Quoting a proverb, he said, “People get the government they deserve, and added, “our leaders are also like us.”
“We will keep on taking experience from the system and bringing about changes in it,’’ he said, adding that after the scrapping of Article 370, the system here is like other parts of India. Pointing out that the Parliament does not work, he said it happens in democracy, but the business shall also take place.
Pointing out that allegations and counter-allegations are part of politics, he said that if people want their representatives to be as per their aspirations, attitude and the situation, then they will have to sacrifice a little bit of their vested interest for overall development of the society. The entire society will have to develop this thought, he said — “it takes many people to establish a system, but very few people are required to destroy it.”