The Sangh parivar needs to offer Indian ambassadors posted abroad a crash course on the world according to the RSS’s brand of Hindutva.

The Organiser, the magazine that RSS supporters are supposed to read, has split geopolitical hairs on actor Aamir Khan meeting Turkey’s First Lady Emine Erdogan in Istanbul recently and concluded that he committed a “blooper”.

The assessment is part of the magazine’s critique of Emine Erdogan’s husband and Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for invoking the Caliphate and his “anti-India” stand.

“Turkey is known for anti-India statements, especially on Jammu & Kashmir, open support to Pakistan and strategic alliance with China,” the article said. “The visit of actor Aamir Khan to Turkey’s first family should be seen in this light,” the Organiser advised its readers.

But somebody forgot to tell the Indian ambassador who is expected to know more about such matters than a magazine whose worldview matches that of the RSS.

Sanjay Panda, India’s ambassador to Turkey, had tweeted on August 16: “That special moment — First Lady H.E. @EmineErdogan receives India’s Cultural Ambassador and one of the finest exponents of meaningful cinema @aamir_khan on a location scouring trip to Turkey for his latest film #LalSinghChaddha.”

Aamir, in Turkey to shoot for his upcoming film, had been received by the First Lady at the presidential residence in Istanbul on August 15.

The latest issue of the Organiser dedicates its cover story to the Turkish President. Titled “Caliph & the Caliphate: The Dystopian Menace”, the report tears into Erdogan for attempting to “usurp the title of Caliph” and terming it dangerous for the world and India, which has a substantial Muslim population.

Barring his religion, Erdogan has several strongman “qualities” that the admirers of the Sangh admire.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi had received Erdogan in 2017, the two leaders had publicly hugged and shaken hands and steered clear of thorny issues.

The camaraderie ebbed after Erdogan criticised India’s decision to scrap Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and supported Pakistan’s stand on Kashmir. After Erdogan’s comments in the Pakistan parliament last year, Modi had cancelled his scheduled visit to Turkey.

The Organiser article makes a reference to Modi’s “chemistry” with Erdogan but without drawing any conclusion as in the case of Aamir.

“Erdogan’s visit to India in April 2017, and the cordial relations between Erdogan and Modi showcased on the sidelines of the recent G20 summit are evidence of some personal chemistry between the two leaders, as well as points of contact between their leadership styles,” the article said.

Then it says: “However, Turkey’s unfavourable positions on key strategic issues for India remain a hurdle….”

The article flagged the threat posed to India by Erdogan, saying his “moderate version of political Islam is more likely to be welcomed by Indian Muslims”.

The article acknowledged the rise of “Hindu nationalist” sentiments in India and underlined that Muslims feeling “threatened” by it may look towards the Erdogan-led Turkey as their “backer”.

“And as the Hindu nationalist footprint strengthens in India, and Muslims feel increasingly threatened, they may seek a more powerful backer abroad to protect their interests, rights, security and identify,” the article concluded.

The article claimed that the Khilafat movement by the “Ali brothers and company” had planted the seeds of “Pan-Islamism” during the Independence movement that led to India’s Partition.

The magazine has a separate article on Aamir that stresses that his meeting with the President’s wife should be seen in the light of the Turkish leader’s Caliphate dream and strong anti-India stand.

The article on Aamir is titled “It’s not Dil Chahta Hai”, referring to the actor’s 2001 film and adding that the “mere excuse of a courteous visit cannot save Aamir Khan from this blooper”.

...WHY IS THIS NOT? Aamir Khan with Emine Erdogan in Istanbul on August 15 Picture courtesy: Twitter/@EmineErdogan

The article features pictures from Aamir’s visit. One picture of Aamir wearing a Turkish hat is captioned: “Aamir presented with a Ertugal Hat in Turkey has a deeper political meaning than mere cinematic appearance.”

The article recalled Aamir’s 2015 comments on rising intolerance in India and his statement that his wife Kiran Rao often wondered whether the family should move out of India. In this context, the article mentioned Erdogan’s criticism of the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

The article went on to issue a wider warning to Bollywood to keep national interest in mind.

“Freedom of speech certainly doesn’t imply hypocrisy, and maligning one’s own country for a fan base should be thrown out in the bin. Bollywood does need a reality check on people’s sentiments, and some stars need to know how, when, where and why they need to keep their actions in order,” the article said, pandering to a growing sentiment among Hindutva Right-wingers.