‘Pen, not stones and guns’: RSS-linked group opens its first office in Kashmir Valley under Muslim leader

The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), a trade union affiliated with the RSS, has opened the office under the leadership of a Muslim man in a region that has witnessed years of militancy and security challenges.

Sameer Kuchay, the BMS's Kashmir in-charge, said the office was opened following the Sangh's extensive outreach across the Valley.

Muslim leader heads RSS-linked office

Kuchay said the BMS has around 30,000 affiliated labourers belonging to 20 labour unions across the Valley.

The opening of the office in Muslim-majority Kashmir is significant, as Kuchay argued that the perception of the RSS as being anti-Muslim was misplaced.

"I am a Muslim, and I can tell you that I was never made to feel discriminated against because I belong to the Muslim community," he said.

"I was always asked, 'How can one serve humanity and work for nation building. You must work in RSS to understand the RSS'," Kuchay said, as quoted by NDTV.

'Our children should have a pen, not stones and guns'

Kuchay also spoke about what he described as a change in attitudes in the Valley, particularly since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.

"Before 2019, things were very difficult here. Now people have realised that our children should have a pen in their hands, not stone and guns," he said.

According to media reports, Kuchay said he became interested in the RSS through social media and was influenced by its chief, Mohan Bhagwat.

He claimed that the organisation had expanded its outreach in the Valley following the abrogation of Article 370, which revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special constitutional status and led to the former state's reorganisation into two Union Territories.

RSS-linked outreach in Kashmir

The opening of the BMS office comes amid efforts by RSS-affiliated organisations to expand their outreach in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Muslim Rashtriya Manch, an organisation associated with the RSS, has also held gatherings at Lal Chowk in Srinagar on occasions such as Republic Day and Independence Day.