‘People-to-people connection’ between India, Pak important as diplomatic talks failed: RSS leader

RSS national publicity chief Sunil Ambekar stated on Wednesday that official government and military dialogues with Pakistan have failed, clarifying that recent comments by Mohan Bhagwat focused strictly on cultivating grassroots, people-to-people connections

Pune: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Sunil Ambekar on Wednesday made a pitch for “people-to-people connection” between India and Pakistan, saying dialogues held between the governments of two countries, their armies and agencies so far have “failed”.

During his interaction with reporters at the Pune Union of Working Journalists, Ambekar also said the ‘dialogue with Pakistan’ remarks made earlier by senior RSS functionary Dattatreya Hosabale and the organisation’s chief Mohan Bhagwat were about people-to-people connection and not about official diplomatic engagement.

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“The remarks made by Sarsanghchalak (RSS chief) were about people-to-people connections. Whether governments should hold talks or not is a matter of hard diplomacy involving national interests and several sensitive issues,” he said.

In an interview to PTI Videos in May, Hosabale had said that trust in Pakistan’s military and political leadership was completely missing in India, and added that people-to-people contact was the best way to break the deadlock.

Defending the senior RSS functionary’s remarks advocating for a dialogue window with Pakistan, Bhagwat later said he was talking about the people of the neighbouring country.

Ambekar further said foreign policy decisions were best left to the government, especially during times of conflict or extraordinary situations.

“When issues relating to foreign countries arise, political differences should be set aside, and views should be conveyed to the government, which should take the final public position in the national interest,” the RSS’ publicity chief said.

Ambekar said the RSS, being a social and cultural organisation, would communicate its views to the government whenever required.

Explaining Bhagwat’s remarks further, he said conventional channels of engagement between governments, armies and agencies did not yield desired results so far.

“Whatever dialogue has taken place between governments, armies and agencies has failed till now. We have lost hope…Therefore, people-to-people connection is important,” he said.

Ambekar cited ongoing exchanges, such as medical travel and trade between the two countries, and said such interactions could help preserve shared historical and cultural memories.

He also referred to sentiments in regions, such as Balochistan and said greater awareness of shared histories could contribute towards addressing long-standing issues.

“People-to-people dialogue is very important and should continue. It should not be viewed as political diplomacy,” Ambekar said.

During the interaction, he also touched upon various other issues, such as demographic balance, population policies and outreach to the Muslim community, saying the RSS remains open to dialogue with all sections of society.