RSS-backed magazine targets Ashoka: ‘He
was reason for India’s decline… (but) worshipped
as great’
Mahim Pratap
Singh | The Indian Express
|July 1, 2016
While the article recognises Ashoka’s greatness
as a world leader before his conversion to Buddhism, it quickly
moves past that to note that after his conversion he started
over-promoting some principles related to ahimsa. (Illustration by
C R Sasikumar)
After
Mughal Emperor Akbar, the Sangh Parivar has now raised questions
about the legacy of Emperor Ashoka. A publication backed by the RSS
has claimed that Ashoka’s conversion to Buddhism and his promotion
of ahimsa opened India’s borders to foreign invaders.
It has also accused followers of Buddhism under
Ashoka of having played a seditious role by assisting Greek
invaders thinking they would destroy “Vedic religion” and pave the
way for dominance of Buddhism.
The article was published in the May issue of the
mouthpiece of the Rajasthan Vanvasi Kalyan Parishad.
The RVKP is affiliated to the Sangh Parivar as a
part of the RSS’s tribal wing, the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, which is
headquartered in Chhattisgarh.
While the article recognises Ashoka’s greatness as a
world leader before his conversion to Buddhism, it quickly moves
past that to note that after his conversion he started
over-promoting some principles related to ahimsa.
“It was India’s misfortune that the same Emperor
Ashoka, who became the reason for India’s decline…we worshiped him
as great…It would have been better if, like Bhagwan Buddha, Emperor
Ashoka too, would give up his kingdom, become a monk and promote
Buddhism…(then) India would not have had to face such a mountain of
hardship,” noted the article published in the magazine, Bappa
Raval.
It further added that “instead, he (Ashoka) turned
the entire empire into a giant monastery for promoting Buddhism. It
was because of the Buddhist leaders of Magadha that Greek invaders
returned to conquer India…Buddhist monks propagated seditious,
senseless, anti-India ideas among their disciples that Buddhism did
not believe in caste or nation. Whenever foreign invaders
sympathetic to Buddhism attacked India, these Buddhists colluded
with them, instead of fighting them bravely.”
The article is part of “Bharat: Kal, Aaj, Aur Kal
(Bharat: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow)”, a series of essays on
India’s history that is featured regularly in the magazine. RVKP
office bearer and magazine editor Dr. Radhika Ladha, who authored
the article, said she did not mean to accuse Buddhists or Emperor
Ashoka of anything.
“All I wanted to say was that although our ancestors
were great luminaries, our country has had to face so much due to
certain small mistakes on their part. I never called Buddhists
seditious…it was only meant to convey their poor understanding
during that period,” Ladha told The Indian
Express.
“My perspective was that we should learn from our
mistakes and lead the country on to a path of prosperity and
development,” she added.
The RVKP, established in 1978, works with six
Scheduled Tribes in Rajasthan across 3000 tribal villages. It
operates residential schools, hospitals and sports training centres
in scheduled areas.