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Alphabetical Order
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An important incident is revealed by Sri Aurobindo's biography that Hedgewar the then secretary of C P Provincial Congress went to Pondicherry to draw back Aurobindo, who had been living sequesteral life since 1910 and was considered by Hedgewar as only alternative to fill the lull created by Tilak's death before the Nagpur Congress, in to politics. Hedgewar requested him to accept the Presidentship of the Congress in that hour
of great crisis of leadership. Being a pioneer of cultural renaissance and a man of non compromising character, Aurobindo was fittest person to lead the Congress and freedom struggle. However Aurobindo moderately declined.
Hedgewar's vision for declaring complete Independence was transformed into action with Congress decision to observe Jan 26, 1930 as Independence Day. His circular to RSS
Shakhas reads, "that the Indian National Congress too has adopted a goal of Independence naturally gives us immense joy. It is our duty to co-operate with any orgainsation working for the cause... Therefore on the evening of 26.1.1930 all the shakhas of the RSS should hold rallies of Swayamsevaks at their respective places and
worship national flag i.e. the Bhagwa Dhwaj. Through speeches it should be explained what is the meaning Independence and why we should work with the end in view. The rallies should conclude by complementing the Congress for accepting the goal of Independence."
The British Government tried to prove the RSS as the conspiratorial group, but in the
absence of any proof it abysmally failed to do so. It left no opportunity to suppress the organisation. During Hedgewar's imprisonment in 1930s under the provocation of
the British, the owner of Mohile Bara, where the RSS shakhas used to take place dragged the issue into the court and forced the closure of the shakha there.
Hedgewar's sympathiser Bhosale Lakshman Rao provided ground for the RSS activities. But soon after his death in 1932, Bhosale's children who were in the protection of
the British Raj went to court and forced the RSS to stop shakha in Tulsibagh's land in 1934. Anti-imperialist struggle was complemented by RSS activities and despite the ideological commonality between the RSS and the Hindu Mahasabha on the question
of Hindu nationalism, Hedgewar preferred Congress to Hindu Mahasabha. He and the RSS did not lend support to the strategy and tactics of the Mahasabha and instead accepted the hegemony of the Congress as the only prime platform to lead the freedom struggle.
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