The Rashtriya Sikh Sangat ("National Sikh Association") is an India-based
Sikh affiliate of the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)
About
With about 450+ ekais (shakas, units) predominantly in the states of Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and as also presence in other states.
Rashtriya Sikh Sangat was inspired by the
Hindu nationalist
Hindu nationalism has been collectively referred to as the expression of social and political thought, based on the native spiritual and cultural traditions of the Indian subcontinent. "Hindu nationalism" or the correct term ''Hindū rāṣṭ ...
organization
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ( ; , , ) is an Indian right-wing, Hindu nationalist, paramilitary volunteer organisation. The RSS is the progenitor and leader of a large body of organisations called the Sangh Parivar (Hindi for "Sangh family ...
to unite Hindus and Sikh.
List of Leaders
Attacks on its Leaders
In 2009,
Babbar Khalsa
Babbar Khalsa International (BKI, pa, ਬੱਬਰ ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ, ), better known as Babbar Khalsa, is an organisation whose main objective is to create an independent Sikh country, Khalistan. It operates in Canada, Germany and the United ...
, a Khalistani militant organization assassinated
Rulda Singh
Rulda Singh Kharoud (born 9 April 1952 - 14 August 2009) was an Indian politician. He was president of Rashtriya Sikh Sangat. He was also general secretary of NRI wing of Bharatiya Janata Party. In July 2009, Singh was shot by two or three armed ...
, the then president of the Rashtriya Sikh Sangat, in
Patiala
Patiala () is a city in southeastern Punjab, northwestern India. It is the fourth largest city in the state and is the administrative capital of Patiala district. Patiala is located around the '' Qila Mubarak'' (the 'Fortunate Castle') construct ...
.
Controversies
The Akal Takht issued a Hukam Nama (an edict) to the Sikh community in 2004 to not lend support to this organization as it does not represent Sikh interests. The edict stands, even now.
In 2004, the leader of the
Akal Takht
The Akal Takht ("Throne of the Timeless One") is one of five takhts (seats of power) of the Sikhs. It is located in the Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) complex in Amritsar, Punjab, India. The Akal Takht (originally called Akal Bunga) was built by ...
declared that the organization to be "anti-Sikh" and "anti-panthic". It forbade all Sikhs from having any association with it.
The Akal Takht, (the supreme temporal body of the Sikh community worldwide) reiterated the ban again in 2019 and is seen as an attempt by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to promote
Hindutva
Hindutva () is the predominant form of Hindu nationalism in India. The term was formulated as a political ideology by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 1923. It is used by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), the ...
, to Sikhs and an attempt to assimilate (absorb) Sikhs into Hinduism.
See also
*
Sangh Parivar
The Sangh Parivar (translation: "Family of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh" or the "RSS family") refers, as an umbrella term, to the collection of Hindu nationalist organisations spawned by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which r ...
*
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Mod ...
*
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ( ; , , ) is an Indian right-wing, Hindu nationalist, paramilitary volunteer organisation. The RSS is the progenitor and leader of a large body of organisations called the Sangh Parivar (Hindi for "Sangh family ...
(RSS)
*
Muslim Rashtriya Manch
*
Keshdhari Hindus
Keshdhari Hindus ( Punjabi: ਕੇਸ਼ਧਾਰੀ ਹਿੰਦੂ ) means "Hindus with long hairs". It is a term used and promoted by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Vishva Hindu Parishad, and other Sangh Parivar organizations for Sikhs to de ...
*
Sanatan Sikh
Sanatan Sikh (Gurmukhi: ਸਨਾਤਨ ਸਿੱਖ ''sanātana sikha''), a term and formulation coined by Harjot Oberoi, referred to Sikhs who formed a traditionalist faction during the Singh Sabha Movement in 1873. They campaigned for a Dharm ...
References
Religious organisations based in India
Sangh Parivar
1986 establishments in India
Sikh organisations
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