"Small episodes" occur but country will remain united: Bhagwat

With incidents like Dadri lynching sparking outrage, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat today said "small episodes" that "get exaggerated" cannot damage Hindu culture and the country will always "stand as one".
"Small episodes happen. They get exaggerated and presented in a big way... Small incidents keep happening but these cannot distort Indian culture, Hindu culture. Since time immemorial, it respects diversity, coordinates among diversities to establish unity... This is Hindutva," he said.
"Our country has stood as one and will stand as one. The Sangh has been doing the work of keeping the nation one on the basis of Hindutva for the last 90 years," he said in his annual Dussehra address here which was telecast by Doordarshan live for the second year in a row.

Bhagwat, however, refrained from making any direct reference to recent incidents of communal and caste tensions.
He praised the Narendra Modi government for lifting the country from the mood of "dispondency" and "creating an atmosphere of "hope and confidence" in the country, while enhancing its standing on the global stage.
"Two years ago there was an atmosphere of despondency. Now we are not worried. An atmosphere of hope and confidence has been created now, so expectations are high," he said, adding Swachh Bharat, Mudra Bank, Jan Dhan Yojana and surrender of gas subsidy are "good omen".

"However, pulling the economy out of the abyss takes some time," he said.

With his call for a review of reservation having set off a political storm that could harm BJP's prospects in the ongoing Bihar polls, Bhagwat began his 55-minute speech by invoking Dalit icon B R Ambedkar whom he credited for making provisions in the Constitution to remove social and economic inequality faced by the weaker sections.
The BJP has tied up with Dalit leader Ram Vilas Paswan's LJP and Mahadalit Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha in Bihar and has hopes of consolidation of the votes of the weaker sections in its favour.
With several fringe Hindutva elements repeatedly demanding a curb on Muslim population, Bhagwat, without naming any community, favoured a "uniform population policy which is applicable to all".

He deplored that no holistic discussion has taken place in the country on controlling population.
"With rise in population, the burden on the country will grow. Population growth can be an asset too. If we have more mouths to feed, we will also have more hands to work. We have to plan for 50 years hence. How to provide for the education and health of the people," he said.