Decades of Discipline: Kumaraswamy on Why RSS Marches Are Nothing New Under the Sun

You know, sometimes, in the ever-churning maelstrom of political discourse, a veteran voice cuts through the noise with a rather simple, yet profoundly unsettling truth. And that’s precisely what H.D. Kumaraswamy, the former Chief Minister and formidable figure in Karnataka politics, did recently. He looked at the ongoing brouhaha, the spirited debates—even the court-mandated discussions—about the RSS route marches, and offered a perspective that, in truth, shifts the very ground beneath the conversation.

“Decades,” he declared, almost with a shrug, or so it felt. These aren’t some novel, sudden flash mobs, mind you. Oh no. We’re talking about an institution, a rhythmic cadence of public display that, according to Kumaraswamy, has been unfolding for… well, decades. It’s a point that, frankly, many might overlook amidst the immediate political tempest. But he didn’t.

It’s almost as if he’s asking: why all the fuss now? Why the sudden spotlight on a practice that, for generations, has been a part of the landscape? One could argue, perhaps, that the political climate has changed, the sensitivities heightened. But Kumaraswamy’s stance, delivered with that characteristic blend of pragmatism and subtle challenge, suggests a certain weariness with manufactured controversies. He seemed to imply that what we’re witnessing isn’t an escalation, but rather, a continuation – a steady pulse that has long been part of the body politic, particularly in states like Karnataka.

His words, of course, arrive at a time when the very legality and public reception of such marches are under intense scrutiny. There are debates, passionate ones, about law and order, about public sentiment, about the nature of these organizations. And yet, here is Kumaraswamy, essentially telling us to take a deep breath and look at the bigger picture, the historical tapestry woven with these very threads. It’s a bold move, really, to contextualize something so frequently politicized, to pull it back from the immediate fray and place it firmly within a longer historical narrative.

So, what does this mean? For some, it might be a legitimization, a tacit nod to the enduring presence of the RSS. For others, it might simply be a shrewd observation, a reminder that some traditions, whether one agrees with them or not, have a deep root. And in politics, as in life, sometimes understanding the past is the only way to truly grapple with the present, however messy it might feel.