For years the Congress has been taunted, jeered and mocked about its “Italian connection” together with Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin. But it appears now, according to the “Frontline” magazine, that it is the “RSS which swears by Hindu culture and the concept of Swadeshi, that had clandestine links and drew inspiration from Italian fascism”.
The writer of the lead story emphasizes that “The RSS current fascist rhetoric is not surprising given its historical links to fascism in the 1930s, which have been established convincingly using authentic archival material. It is a legacy that PM Narendra Modi, as a pracharak for most of his life, identifies with and believes in” Frontline describes as to how the first Hindu nationalist Moonje, Hedgewar’s mentor, visited some important military schools in Italy in the 1930s, the highlight of his visit having been his meeting with Mussolini.
After quoting from various authentic sources to prove the RSS “Italian connection” the Frontline concludes, “A nation’s ethos is reflected in the historical narrative it adopts and the men it lauds as heroes. Modi has chosen two men of the Sangh Parivar for the award of the Bharat Ratna. In this pattern fall the praise of the Gita alone, the conversions, the abuse, the violence and the orchestrated praise for Godse. More sinister still is the erosion of the divide between the party and the state and the reduction of the cabinet ministers and civil servants as mere factotums. The form of the administration is being changed. But it is the Constitution that is under attack”, concludes the cover story writer.
Dr. Francisco Colaço, Margao
