RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Thursday that the society was ignorant and there was a need to make it aware, referring to a “conspiracy” against Hindus while speaking of the Sabarimala fiasco.

“Hamara samaj agyani hai, pata nahin kya chal raha hai, jankari dene ki zaroorat hai (Our society is ignorant, it doesn’t know what is going on, there is a need to make it aware),” Bhagwat said on the first day of a two-day Dharma Sansad (Religious Parliament) being organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in the Ardh Kumbh area of Allahabad.

The RSS leader alerted sadhus to a “conspiracy against the Hindu community”. He claimed that nobody was stopping women from entering the Sabarimala temple in Kerala and that it was a “misconception” created by those who had been trying to divide the country.

“In fact women don’t want to visit the temple. The situation is such that some people who are political workers of certain parties are bringing women from as far as Sri Lanka and taking them to the Ayyappa temple through the back door,” Bhagwat claimed.

“The same people take up guns to disturb peace in the country…. The same people are creating a misconception in the minds of women,” he added.

Since the Supreme Court lifted the ban on the entry of women of childbearing age into the Sabarimala temple last September, Sangh parivar outfits have been accused of not allowing any woman in the age group to come near the shrine, heckling and attacking them.

Bhagwat referred to a slogan allegedly raised in JNU in 2016 at a programme to commemorate the death anniversary of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. Then students Kanhaiya Kumar and Anirban Bhattacharya have been booked for sedition in connection with the incident.

These youth leaders have Left leanings and the Left Democratic Front is in power in Kerala.

Bhagwat also mentioned “growing population”, without referring to any particular community.

“I know that birth rate is an important factor behind increasing population. But it is a small reason. Bigger reasons are intrusions and religious conversions. But we will not let the Hindu religion break,” he said.

A section of BJP and Sangh parivar leaders have often made such claims while talking about Muslims.

The sadhus attending the VHP’s Dharma Sansad will discuss the Ram temple issue on Friday.

The Akhara Parishad, an umbrella organisation of sadhus, boycotted the VHP meet and said it was more political than religious.

“The VHP, the RSS and the BJP governments have not taken any serious step towards the construction of a Ram temple. We cannot allow them to misuse the Akhara Parishad to send the message that the sadhus are with them in their political gimmicks,” said Narendra Giri, the chairman of the Akhara Parishad.

“But we have allowed some of our Mahamandaleshwars to attend the VHP meet and present our point of view,” he added. Mahamandaleshwar is a title given to those naga sadhus who are considered to have attained the highest level of spirituality.

Swaroopanand Saraswati, one of the three Shankaracharyas in the country, ridiculed the VHP event.

“As per Hindu tradition, a Dharma Sansad cannot be convened or attended by those who lead a family life. Only brahmchari (unmarried) saints can be a part of it. But those attending the VHP event are mostly saansaarik (those leading a family life),” he said.

Swaroopanand organised a three-day Param Dharma Sansad (Supreme Religious Parliament) in the Ardh Kumbh area from January 28 and declared that sadhus would start marching to Ayodhya from February 10 and he would lay the foundation stone of a Ram temple at the disputed site on February 21, hinting at a movement that would run parallel to the VHP’s.

The Akhara Parishad has supported Swaroopanand. “It is a good decision. We will participate in the foundation stone-laying programme of the Shankaracharya, who is one of the supreme leaders of Hinduism,” Giri said.