Former Army Chief Naravane Backs RSS Leader's Call for India-Pakistan Dialogue - "Ordinary People Just Want Roti, Kapda aur Makaan"
Former Army Chief General Manoj Naravane on Wednesday backed RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale's call that willingness to dialogue with Pakistan is crucial and that friendly ties with Pakistani people will improve relations between the two countries. "People from both sides of the border are common men and their common issue would always be about roti, kapda and makaan and politics has nothing to do with the common man. When there are friends, it's good that there is friendship," Naravane said during an event.
The former army chief hailed it as a right approach and insisted that people-to-people contacts are essential. Naravane's comments come a day after the second highest ranking RSS functionary, said India should maintain open communication channels with Pakistan and that they should be ready for dialogue even if it plans Pulwama-like attacks. Hosabale also said India would reply to any such attack as per the situation but it should not close doors to dialogue.
He mentioned that people-to-people bonds will help ease tensions, "since we share cultural roots and were once the same people". He further added, "I believe the process will ultimately lead to normalizing relations with Pakistan and it requires more effort. This approach will be beneficial in long run." Hosabale had also appealed to the sportsmen, scholars and civil society of Pakistan to "come forward" for peace as their country's military cannot be trusted.RSS is the ideological parent of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In February this year, Naravane made it to news headlines after opposition leader Rahul Gandhi targeted PM Narendra Modi with passages from his yet-to-be-released autobiography chapter over India-China faceoff at Ladakh.
