RSS receives heavy slack from Brahmin outfits

Attacking the RSS over Mohan Bhagwat's anti-pandit remark, Swami Nischalananda Saraswati said that the ancestors of all Sanatani Hindus were Brahmins only

NT Correspondent

New Delhi: Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati said on Tuesday while speaking during a religious meet in Jagdalpur district of Chhattisgarh that varna system is the gift of Brahmins only.

Attacking the RSS, Swami Nischalananda Saraswati said that the ancestors of all Sanatani Hindus were Brahmins only. The seer has also said that there is a need to create a similar caste hierarchy in the western countries like the US where it is absent. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has received heavy slack from Brahmin outfits after the chief Mohan Bhagwat’s remarks on the community.

They have demanded his apology while the BJP, trying to control the damage inflicted, has blamed the opposition parties for twisting the remarks out of context for political gains. On Sunday, in Mumbai, Mohan Bhagwat made a statement that the caste system was not ordained by God but was created by “pandits.”

The Uttar Pradesh state general secretary of the party and a BJP MP, Subrat Pathak has claimed that Bhagwat used the word pandit in a different context and not in reference to Brahmins. He has added that pandits meant someone who is knowledgeable and was in no way related to the Brahmin community. He alleged that the opposition was “deliberately twisting” the remarks for the sake of political gains and that the Brahmin community is wise enough to not fall prey to such moves.

However, Brahmin outfits in UP have been angered by the statement and have taken to the streets to condemn the remarks and demand an apology from the chief. Members of the brahmin outfit 'Mai Hoon Brahmin Mahasabha' staged a protest on Tuesday in Kanpur, chanting the Hanuman Chalisa while demanding Bhagwat’s apology.

Brahmin leaders in the opposition have taken the opportunity and said the remark reflects the casteist mentality of BJP. Brahmins sum up about 12 percent of the electorate of UP and have been supporters of the BJP. The remarks may put the party in a difficult situation during the elections.