Jaipur: The RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) today (Mar 15, 2004) said that Mahatma Gandhi's "greatest blunder" was to hand over Prime Ministership to Jawaharalal Nehru who had no knowledge of rural India.

Attacking Nehruvian policies, the RSS chief said, "Gandhi committed two blunders, one handing over Prime Ministership to Nehru and another supporting Khilafat movement."

Had Gandhi preferred Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel as India's Premier to Nehru, the history of independent India would have been different, Sudershan said while releasing a book "Sansad Mein Sanskritik Rashtrawad" by RSS ideologue Mahesh Chandra Sharma, a former Rajya Sabha MP (Member of Parliament).

Sudershan claimed that Nehru had no knowledge of rural India and knew only Western model of urban development and pursued the same causing great setback to nation building.

"Today, we are mimicking others. But if we realise our self-respect, the whole world will follow us. For this, we have to understand cultural nationalism having deep roots in our thousands year-old civilisation."

Sudershan asked Muslims to shed their apprehensions and join the national mainstream.

Muslims should shrug off their misgivings that majority community was against them and join the national mainstream, Sudershan said.

Every citizen of this country has complete freedom to follow one's religion and minority communities should not be apprehensive about protection of their faith, he said.

"An unnecessary mistrust has been created in the minds of Muslims by fundamentalists but Muslims should come out of this mindset and join the national mainstream for making a prosperous and vibrant India."

Asking Muslims and Christians not to consider themselves as minorities in the country, Sudershan said, "They are equal citizens with others. Our religions may be different but we all belong to same civilisation for which we all should be proud."