Sanathan Sanstha's National Spokesperson Chetan Rajhans talks to Outlook's Editor Chinki Sinha about controversies involving the organisation, and the nature of Hindutva, and its founder Jayant Athavale.
The right-wing Hindu organisation Sanatan Sanstha has been mired in several controversies over the years, which range from claims that it's a sex cult to accusations of its involvement in terrorist acts such as the Margao blast and murders of rationalists Dr Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, MM Kalburgi, and journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh. Sanatan Sanstha's National Spokesperson Chetan Rajhans denies these allegations.
Rajhans cited former Union Home Ministry Official RVS Mani book The Myth of Hindu Terror: Insider account of Ministry of Home Affairs 2006-2010 to deny the charges of 'saffron terrorism' on the organisation.
He said, "We have been defamed. The [UPA] government had to balance 'green terrorism', so they labelled as 'saffront terrorists, because we used to write intellectually in the Sanatan Prabhat."
Speaking on Hinduism and Hindutva, Rajhans said there should not be any difference between the two.
He said, "Though there should be no difference between Hindutva and Hinduism, today it could be said that Hindutva is seen as a political identity, so Hindutva is being negated as Hinduism."
On stories of hypnotism and brain wash regarding founder Athavale, Rajhans said he was not a hypnotherapist but a clinical hypnotherapist, who professionally treated patients who came to him.
He said, "Gurudev [Athavale] left the practice of hypnotherapy in 1990s. When he found medidation techniques and devoted his life to the Hindu religion, he shut down his hypnotherapy practice. He never opened a hypnotherapy book after 1990s."
Rajhans also denied allegations of the murders, saying they had never heard the names of Gauri Lankesh and Kalburgi, and yet they had been accused of crimes.
The Sanatan Sanstha spokesperson also denied the allegations of any sex scandals within their ashram in Goa and recovery of condoms used by ashram members.
He said, "There is no truth in sex scandal allegations. There are people in the ashram who joined when they were young and married, they might have used [condoms]. Families live here as well, so there are arrangements for them."