Aditi Tandon
New Delhi, January 9
In a major development that comes close on the heels of the Supreme Court transferring to itself all petitions pending before different high courts regarding legal recognition to same-sex marriages, the RSS has backed dignity and autonomy for the queer people.
Bhagwat, in an interview published in pro-Sangh journals Organiser and Panchjanya on Monday, said LGBTQ people must have their own space and must feel part of society.
In politically significant remarks at a time when the opposition has been routinely attacking the RSS for not allowing women in Sangh shakhas, Bhagwat also said the Sangh was open to common shakhas for men and women. He said while the Rashtriya Sevika Samiti worked among women and the RSS worked among men, “whenever they (Rashtriya Sevika Samiti) feel that this arrangement should change, we will definitely change it”. Batting for LGBTQ rights, Bhagwat said different sexual preferences were biological and the issue was not new in India. “This (LGBTQ’s sexual preference) is biological, a mode of life. We want them (LGBTQ) to have their own private space and to feel that they too are part of society.”
