RSS can change its position with the changing times

It was in 1998 that the Vishva Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal and other Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh organisations were protesting against the screening of Fire, a Hindi film portraying a lesbian relationship between its two protagonists. Six years ago at an a RSS meeting, the joint general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale had taken a stand on the topic saying that sexual preferences should be considered a matter of personal choice and that references of homosexuality and acceptance of it by the society could be found in ancient Indian history. A year ago, while speaking at another event, Bhagwat had surprised many with his response to a question about the RSS moving away from its former Chief Guru Golwalkar's harsh assessment of the Muslim community and how the organisation now saw Muslims as an important part of the society. His father, senior RSS leaders Madhukar Rao Bhagwat, had played a key role in bringing about an acceptance for Mahatma Gandhi in the Sangh Parivar by explaining that the economic and swadeshi principles talked about by Gandhhi were actually the same as that of the RSS and that it was possible for two ideologies to co-exist when the differences were few and similarities many. After Bhagwat became RSS general secretary about 20 years ago, Gandhi's acceptability within the Sangh further increased and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's repeated espousal of Gandhian principles has only helped.