RSS’s Dattatreya Hosabale called for an open dialogue with Pakistan, a position that was later supported by former army chief General Naravane.
Senior BJP leader Dattatreya Hosabale, the ideological parent of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), recently called for keeping the dialogue option on the table to deal with Pakistan, a remark supported by even former army chief General MM Naravane.
Pointing out the need to give a proper answer if “Pakistan is like a pin prick trying to create incidents like Pulwama”, RSS leader Dattatreya Hosabale stressed the importance of being prepared “to engage in dialogue”.
“…If Pakistan is like a pin prick that tries to create incidents like Pulwama, etc., then we must respond appropriately according to the situation because the security and self-respect of a country and a nation must be protected and the present government must take note of that and take care of it,” Hosabale said in an interview with news agency PTI, citing terror attacks like 26/11, Pulwama and Pahalgam. And Pulwama and Pahalgam.
“But at the same time, there is no need to close the doors,” he added.
“We should always be ready to engage in dialogue. That is why diplomatic relations are maintained, trade and commerce continue, visas are granted. So we should not stop that, because there should always be a window for dialogue,” the RSS leader said.
The former army chief supports the RSS leader
RSS leader Dattatreya Hosabale’s focus on keeping the window for dialogue with Pakistan open on Wednesday was endorsed by former Army Chief General (retd) Manoj Naravane, who said friendship between the two peoples could lead to better bilateral relations.
The agency quoted Naravane as saying on the sidelines of an event in Mumbai, Maharashtra: “Common people live on both sides of the border and face common problems related to roti, kapda and makan (food, clothing and shelter). The common man has nothing to do with politics. “When there is friendship between the two peoples, there will also be friendship between the two countries.”
The former army chief visited a book shop in the city to sign his new book, ‘The Curious and the Classified’. Uncover military myths and mysteries.
“It’s true. Communication between people is important,” he added.
People-to-people communication is the key to breaking the impasse with Pakistan and there should always be a window for dialogue, Hosabale said in an interview with PTI Videos on Tuesday. The RSS leader said Pakistan’s military and political leadership has lost India’s confidence and it is time for civil society to lead the way.
Naravane said there must be people-to-people communication between the two countries, whether it is through “Track Two” diplomacy or a sporting event.
Congress takes the dig
However, Hosabale’s statements led to criticism from the Congress which questioned what had changed between the Pahalgam attack and now what warranted dialogue and wondered whether the Sangh had been pushed by some “excessive force” which today is beholden to Pakistan for all the wrong reasons.
The agency quoted Congress leader Manish Tiwari as saying, “What has materially changed between April 22, 2025, when Pakistan-based and Pakistan-sponsored terrorists carried out a massacre against innocent citizens in the Baisaran Valley in Pahalgam, which calls for the necessity of holding a dialogue.”
He asked whether Pakistan had given any indication that it would respect its previous commitments made by its prime ministers and military commanders that Pakistan would not use terrorism as an instrument of state policy?
“So, you want to engage in achieving what purpose? Is it only because you are being pushed by some excessive force that today owes Pakistan for all the wrong reasons, that you need to open a dialogue with them?” Tiwari said, in an apparent reference to the United States.
Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh also commented and said that Shri Hosabale’s recent trip to the US, “during which one of his colleagues admitted to the Prime Minister that he had done what the US wanted him to do, appears to have affected him and the RSS.”
“Just imagine how the bhakt brigade, including various TV channels, would have been angry, angry and agitated if…” Jairam Ramesh wrote on X.
