'No Need To Compare Mahatma Gandhi And Hedgewar, Both Are Icons & Sources Of Inspiration': RSS Leader Sunil Ambekar

Nagpur: RSS leader Sunil Ambekar on Saturday said there was no need to compare the organisation's founder KB Hedgewar and Mahatma Gandhi as both did excellent work for country and society and are sources of inspiration for all.

Addressing an event here to launch the book 'Dr Hedgewar aani Mahatma Gandhi -Ek Darshan', he also asked if the country was partitioned ahead of Independence due to the weakness of Hindus or the weakness of the leadership at the time.

"The works of Mahatma Gandhi and RSS founder Dr KB Hedgewar are in the interest of the country and for the people. I feel there is no need to compare Dr Hedgewar and Mahatma Gandhi as both have done excellent work and both are inspiring to us. Both gave their lives in service of the country, for the people of the country and the Hindu community," the RSS Akhil Bhartiya Prachar Pramukh asserted.

Ambekar said Dr Hedgewar had taken a clear stand against Partition and even Gandhiji had said it would happen over his dead body.

"Both Dr Hedgewar and Gandhiji's stand was that the country should be one and united. It is also a very important question before the country, and historically too it has been a matter of debate and study, that whether it was partitioned due to the weakness of us Hindus or weakness of the leadership," he said.

The truth is that the country was finally partitioned and some people believe the issue ended there but actually it hasn't, he said citing attacks on India by Pakistan, including the recent Pahalgam episode, and atrocities on Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Emphasising the need to know history, he said, "We are Bharatiya and have been on this land for thousand of years. We are Hindus and by tradition too we are Hindus." Ambekar said there was need to analyse national icons as well as organisations, including the RSS, with an open mind as a democratic nation and a progressive society "because if we don't review our history with an open mind then we will not be able to take better decisions for the future".

"Mahapurush should not be limited just to a particular group, party or political ideology. They are all rashtra purush (national icons)," he added.

Speaking at the event, Ambekar said Gandhiji had interacted with Hedgewar during a visit to a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh 'shivir' (camp) in 1937.

Mahatama Gandhi also visited a 'shakha' in Valimiki Mandir in Delhi in 1947, he added.