MUMBAI: Stating that a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will help unify the country, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Sunday it should be framed by taking all sections of society into confidence.“Uttarakhand published a draft bill, received 3 lakh suggestions and, after detailed discussions, passed it. If a code is brought in such a way, then it is good. Create consensus amongst the people before bringing in the UCC,” Bhagwat said on the second day of an RSS outreach programme at Worli’s Nehru Centre, stressing the UCC should not lead to differences. “India preserves unity amid diversity, this principle must be given priority while framing such laws”.

The remarks came a day after he said that despite theological differences, Islam and Christianity have flourished in India because of the “inherent Hindu spirit” embedded in the country’s ethos. “We should proclaim our Hindutva identity as one nation and one culture,” he had said on the opening day of the programme Saturday—the two-day Vyakhyanmala is the fourth in the series being held across the country to mark RSS’s centenary year.During an interaction with the audience Sunday, he said BJP’s “achche din” are because of RSS and not the other way round. “RSS was committed to the Ram temple movement and those who backed it benefited, he said, adding ‘achche din’ for RSS came through the hard work of volunteers and commitment to ideology,” he said.The RSS chief also called for global Hindu unity and the Bharat Ratna for Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar.Addressing the audience Sunday, Bhagwat reiterated a three-child policy for a healthy population rate for the country, saying various studies showed that ‘three children per couple’ should be the norm if the population decline is to be stopped. Referring to the country’s total fertility rate touching 2.1, he said it is “being balanced thanks to Bihar”.He further said the Hindu population is decreasing due to conversion and illegal immigration. He added that if an individual converts voluntarily there is no opposition, but “forced or inducement-based conversions are condemnable and the response to them would be ghar wapsi”. On illegal immigration, Bhagwat said while govt is implementing the “detect and deport” policy, people must be vigilant and report such cases to the authorities as well as desist from employing them.The RSS said global Hindu unity will eliminate the need for dependence on external forces to fight for their rights and issues in any part of the world.He also batted for the Bharat Ratna for Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar. “Even without receiving the Bharat Ratna honour, Veer Savarkar rules over the hearts of millions of Bharatiyas. However, conferring the Bharat Ratna on Veer Savarkar would enhance the prestige of this honour itself,” he added.Bhagwat said given the country’s large population, it’s important to give work to people, and working on farms must be respected.On ayurveda, he said there is now a ministry to promote it. “There should be an increase in practitioners and those using ayurveda. Allopathy has expanded because it provides quick relief. In ancient times, there was a vaidya for 10-12 villages and he provided fresh medicine from the nearby forest. If ayurveda is to flourish, then practitioners will have to go and work at the grassroots level,” he said.Speaking on the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, Bhagwat said India is the only country that has fulfilled all its promises. “It is the West that exploited nature and not India. Those smoke-emitting factories, the fertilisers that poison food—when will you ban them all?” he asked.From Salman to Karan Johar, Bollywood marks its presenceMany Bollywood celebrities attended the two-day event—from Salman Khan to Karan Johar, Shilpa Shetty, Vicky Kaushal, Akshay Kumar, Ananya Panday, Raveena Tandon, Ravi Dubey and Madhur Bhandarkar—leading RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to comment that had the organisation invited people 20 years ago, it would not have got the same response. Khan’s presence prompted Shiv Sena (UBT) Sanjay Raut to take a dig at RSS. “Was it a welcome only for Bollywood star Salman Khan or are all Muslims now welcome in the Sangh and its shakhas? RSS should clarify,” he said.