The much-hyped dialogue between senior representatives of the RSS and Muslim leaders appears to have failed to bring about the desired result. The Muslim leaders have expressed “disappointment” at continued violence against the minorities and believe “the RSS leaders could have done better”.
Though the option of future dialogue has not been ruled out yet, the Muslim leaders feel there was need for “appropriate follow-up action” from the other side after a couple of closed door meetings between the leaders. Speaking to the media, president of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Arshad Madani said, “What we had discussed with Mohan Bhagwat and others, the RSS is no longer standing by it.”
Mr. Arshad Madani’s faction of the Jamiat along with the section headed by Mahmood Madani, besides representatives of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind and noted Muslim bureaucrats and journalists, including S.Y. Qureshi, former Chief Election Commissioner, Zameeruddin Shah, former Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University, Najib Jung, former Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, and Shahid Siddiqui, former member of Parliament, earlier this year had a closed door meeting with the RSS leaders to bridge the distance between communities and usher in an era free of communal violence, lynching and attacks on Muslim places of worship.
