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3 Nov, 2015

Indian tribal gurus say no difference between missionaries and RSS – Hindustan Times

There is no difference between the Christian missionaries and the Rashtriya Swamsevak Sangh (RSS) except for the fact that the former tried to lure tribesmen to their religion and the latter wanted to force Hinduism on them, tribal gurus from Jharkhand said on Monday.

They were reacting to the RSS’s claim that all of Sarna followers (nature-worshipping tribes) were Hindus. “They (RSS and missionaries) are the same. One tries to lure us, the other forces its ideologies on us,” said Bandhan Tigga, Sarna dharmguru from Oraon clan.

Laskar Soren, a Santhali tribal guru, said the tribal community does not believe in any caste barriers, but the RSS preaches ‘caste-ism’, a major difference between Hindus and Sarnas.“They (Hindus) are divided into Rajputs, Brahmins, Shudras, Kayastas and more. We, on the other hand, are all equal,” Soren said. The reactions came a day after Sarna followers in the tribal state took to the streets against the RSS, burnt effigies of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and leader Krishna Gopal, demanding an apology from the saffron outfit.

Read the rest: Tribal gurus say no difference between missionaries and RSS | india | Hindustan Times