RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s three-day lecture series last week has failed to alter the perception of the Congress, which sees the exercise as a tactical attempt by an outfit still considered “narrow-minded and communal” to expand its reach.

Congress veterans who have for decades closely observed the Sangh, the ruling BJP’s ideological mentor, refuse to accept the dominant view that the so-called cultural organisation is trying to correct its ideology and pursue inclusive politics.

They point out that Bhagwat stuck to the avowed objective of establishing a Hindu rashtra and repeated the position of accommodating everybody under one Hindu umbrella.

On the first two days of his lectures on the aims and activities of the RSS, Bhagwat had attempted to portray it as an organisation that believed in democracy and the Constitution and accepted “those who oppose us”.

On the final day he had pushed for the construction of a “grand Ram temple” in Ayodhya “soon” and “in whichever way possible”.

Most Congress leaders avoided speaking on record but argued that even the commitment to the Constitution, which was less ambiguous than the traditional Sangh position, had been rendered meaningless, as Bhagwat never endorsed the concepts of equality of all citizens and secularism.

Some also said the “sinister” attempt to equate Hindutva with Hinduism betrayed the desire to mislead society.

“The RSS thinks they have arrived for a larger role and rigid positions of the past will not help. Bigotry has a limited appeal; they cannot expand their support base beyond a point without reforming flawed ideological and political positions. The attempt to correct the mistakes should be seen in that light,” senior leader Anand Sharma told The Telegraph.

“Their opposition to the fundamentals of the Constitution, facts of history — particularly the freedom struggle — won’t be acceptable. Who will trust them if they intend to erase Jawaharlal Nehru’s contributions?”

Sharma added: “So the readjustment is only tactical and it is too early to say if they will change their core principles. They have left no stone unturned in dividing the society in the last four years. After his sermons, Bhagwat gave an ominous threat that there will be a Mahabharata if the Ram temple is not constructed in Ayodhya. Repackaging of strident positions and sophistry don’t create a new truth overnight. Let’s see how they approach society, politics and governance before deciding to review our own perception about the RSS.”

Another leader, Shakeel Ahmed, said there was “no evidence on the ground” of any change in the RSS philosophy. “They always tried to make a distinction between good Muslim and bad Muslim and that’s not changed. They want Muslims to submerge their identity with Hindus and concede India is not a secular country. Ministers are openly supporting lynchings and we are lectured that Muslims are our own. This is a political strategy to expand the RSS base among Hindus who don’t approve of a violent anti-Muslim campaign,” Ahmed said.

“The RSS knows the BJP government presented the worst possible face of governance in India. They are thoroughly discredited. There may be a dormant fear of backlash as the people know the BJP is the political wing of the RSS. Bhagwat is desperate to perpetuate the RSS’s hegemonic control over India and he is trying to confuse people. This is politics by subterfuge. Muslims want peaceful coexistence with Hindus but Bhagwat should analyse what is the most destabilising agent of social harmony in India.”

Many leaders wondered why Bhagwat’s proclamation of inclusive politics had not come in the first year of the Narendra Modi government and said the Sangh chief should make an assessment on the outcome of RSS ideology on the basis of societal realities and governance in the last four years.

“Bhagwat should clarify (whether the) RSS ideology is based on a two-nation theory or not?” Mohsina Kidwai, who has seen India since the days of the Partition, said. “If he is talking about Hindu rashtra, his sermons are automatically rendered meaningless. How can an RSS man on the street who nurtured hatred for Muslims since childhood change overnight? If the RSS wants to change, it should first acknowledge its ideology is flawed.”

Kidwai explained: “The temperament of this nation is defined by unity in diversity. Bhaichara, non-violence desh ka mizaz hai. Gandhian values, the spirit of the Constitution, cultural milieu… everything is designed for social harmony, equality and justice. But the RSS unfortunately restricted itself to Hindu supremacy. The mistake by the Muslim League divided India. Gandhi said India cannot be harmed by external threats but internal conflicts can ruin it. We see that situation today.”

Academic and RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha summed up the feeling in this section of society which has always seen the RSS as a narrow-minded communal outfit.

“One must critically look at what has been carefully conveyed by the chief of a ‘cultural’ organisation, at the extravagant meet of the RSS, but must not miss the unsaid,” Jha said.

“At best, even for his sympathisers… his speech shall go down in history as mea culpa and for the ones who never believed their version of history and politics, it is a textbook example of what Shakespeare said in Macbeth — False face must hide what the false heart doth know.”