By Prof. Suresh Sharma
The purpose of this note is to understand the ideology and attitude of Congress and RSS/BJP for women, who constitute half of the nation. While Congress considers women as equal human beings, nothing less nothing more than men, RSS/BJP show Akhand Bharat as Bharat Mata – a goddess, a woman – and pretend as if they consider the woman as respectful as the mother or a goddess. This note is to analyze how exactly these thoughts about woman matter.
What is the ideology and attitude of Congress towards Woman?
The difference of Congress and BJP on the position for women could be understood from the fact that when Jawaharlal Nehru introduced Hindu Common Civil Code, RSS and Hindu Mahasabha vehemently opposed it saying it would destroy Hindu religion. They even organized nationwide protests and burnt effigies of Pt. Nehru and Dr. Ambedkar for introducing the bill. This Code was about dignity and equality of women in Hindu society. It allowed equal rights of women on their ancestral property, end of polygamy that allowed marrying more than one woman and making inter-caste marriages legal.
Congress got the Civil Code passed despite all the opposition, because it was product of Congress ideology, which stands for equality of all, irrespective of caste, creed or sex. That is the reason that Congress has given India its first woman prime minister, Smt. Indira Gandhi, who served the nation in this position for as long as sixteen years. Similarly, Congress has got a woman as its longest serving party president in Smt. Sonia Gandhi. Women are always given due respect and space in Congress party.
What RSS/BJP think about Equality of Women in Society?
In the history of RSS, there has never been a woman in their organisation. In their philosophy itself, role of a woman is to take care of household and bring up children and that ‘woman has been created by nature to serve the man.’ Eleven years after establishment of RSS, the RSS Sevika Samiti was formed to counter Mahila Congress and their participation in the independence movement. Even today, there is no place for a woman in main RSS. Even in BJP, there has been no woman president ever.
MS Golwalkar, former chief of RSS led the Sangh in opposing the Hindu Civil Code Bill in 1949, claiming that “granting of rights to women would cause great psychological upheaval to men and lead to mental disease and distress” – Paula Bacchetta, Gender in the Hindu Nation: RSS Women as Ideologues, p.124
‘Hindu women should avoid being ‘modern’. Women who enjoy the freedom and equality of modernity, lack in virtue and think that ‘modernism lies in exposing their body more and more to the public gaze’! – MS Golwalkar in his book, ‘Bunch of Thoughts’.
The position of RSS/BJP could be understood from the textbook (1992) on social change and development in the state of Uttar Pradesh, introduced by them, which says – “Legislation which has given rights to women is also responsible for family disorganization. All such acts have raised the status of women. The total result of these progressive legislative measures by the Government in favor of women is tension and strife in the family.” – Niraj Pant – Look Ma! Sangh girohs gone progressive! Sangskriti, New York, 1996.
What does RSS/BJP think about position of Women in Society?
The Sangh’s definition of ‘cultural nationalism’ includes a celebration of Sati, Child Marriage, and of social customs that impose restrictions on women’s freedom. Women, who wear jeans, celebrate Valentine’s Day, and Hindu women who marry outside caste/religion barriers are often attacked by the Sangh brigades for violating ‘Indian culture’.
Swami Mutananda Saraswati, a member of a VHP committee to “Reform” the Indian Constitution, said in 1992 – “By giving inheritance rights to women the unity of society gets broken.”
“It is the fundamental right of Hindu women to commit Sati, as it is in preservation of our past glory and culture.” – Late BJP leader Vijaya Raje Scindia.
What does RSS/BJP think about position of Women in Family?
“Women should restrict themselves to doing household chores… a husband and wife are bound by a contract which says ‘you woman look after the household chores and satisfy me, I man will take care of your needs and will protect you.” –Mohan Bhagwat, chief of RSS, on 5TH January 2013, addressing a gathering of RSS workers in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
Mridula Sinha, President of BJP’s Mahila Morcha said in 1993: “We in the Bharatiya Janata Party are opposed to women’s liberation, because it is against men. We tell women to be more adjusting, because they will have nowhere to go if they leave their husbands.”
RSS/BJP on Education of Women
“It is the man, who must earn and support his family, while the woman manages the household, his education is more important. This division of labour is natural.” – Krishna Sharma, leader of VHP – Women and the Hindu Right: a collection of essays, Ed. Tanika Sarkar and Urvashi Butalia. New Delhi, Kali for Women, 1995, pp: 331-335)
What RSS/BJP think About Rapes?
Addressing RSS workers in Silchar, Assam, its chief, Mohan Bhagwat said – ‘Rapes are an urban crime shaped by westernization, and are not a matter of concern in rural India where traditional values are upheld.” – Source: http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/women-meant-to-do-household-chores-another-shocker-from-rss-chief-509519
In the Sangh’s view, Hindu men must prove their masculinity by raping non-Hindu women, who are seen as ‘symbols’ of the ‘enemy culture’.
“But because of the then prevalent suicidal ideas about chivalry to women, which ultimately proved highly detrimental to the Hindu community, neither Shivaji nor Chinaji Appa could rape Muslim women.” –VD Savarkar, The Six Golden Epochs of Indian History, p.71
What does RSS/BJP think about Beating of Women?
Their views and ideology could be understood from this statement of one of their senior leaders in VHP, Krishna Sharma – “Don’t parents admonish their children for misbehaviour? Just as a child must adjust to his/her parents, so must a wife act keeping in mind her husband’s moods and must avoid irritating him. Only this can keep the family together.”
Same views were expressed verbatim by Sharda, a RSS Sevika Sangh activist for article – ‘Holier Than Cow,’ Outlook, January 28, 2013.
President of BJP Mahila Morcha, Mridula Sinha told the Telegraph, 1993 – “I gave dowry for my daughter and received dowry for my son…. Wife-beating is bad, but if it has to be done to bring the woman on proper track it’s all right.”
What is relationship in RSS/BJP, Manusmriti and Woman?
RSS considers Manu as the first and greatest lawgiver of the world. Manusmriti provides the account of the Laws of Manu. RSS/BJP considers Manusmriti as its guiding holy-book. Therefore, their ideology is hugely influenced by it. To understand why they have hypocritical approach about women in society, we need to have a deep look into Manusmriti, the source of their inspiration. RSS strongly advocated for making Manusmriti the Constitution of India. We should remember that Dr. BR Ambedkar publicly burnt Manusmriti, which is abhorrent and discriminatory towards women and deprived castes.
Some important Laws given in Manusmriti about Women
- Day and night woman must be kept in dependence by the males.
- Her father protects her in childhood, her husband protects her in youth, and her sons protect her in old age; a woman is never fit for independence.
- Let the husband employ his wife in the collection and expenditure of his wealth, in keeping everything clean, in the fulfillment of religious duties, in the preparation of his food, and in looking after the household utensils.
- Women do not care for beauty, nor is their attention fixed on age; thinking, ‘It is enough that he is a man,’ they give themselves to the handsome and to the ugly.
- Through their passion for men, through their mutable temper, through their natural heartlessness, they become disloyal towards their husbands, however carefully they may be guarded in this world.
- When creating them Manu allotted to women a love of their bed, of their seat and of ornament, impure desires, wrath, dishonesty, malice, and bad conduct.
- For women no sacramental rite is performed with sacred texts, thus the law is settled; women who are destitute of strength and destitute of the knowledge of Vedic texts, are as impure as falsehood itself, that is a fixed rule.
Conclusion: It is clear from the above given facts that Congress always stood for equal respect and space to women in party and for equality in politics and society. On the other hand, RSS/BJP always made efforts to deprive women of their rights of equality. Therefore, the difference in the attitude of the two parties lies in their ideologies.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. AlignIndia does not take any responsibility for the content of the article.
Prof. Suresh Sharma is a former Jt Director, Jawaharlal Nehru Leadership Institute, New Delhi