Narendra Modi used to be involved with a radical political party
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is a terrorist organization and Modi's membership makes him a terrorist.
(1 of 2)
Next argument >
Context
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is a right-wing Hindu nationalist group with a record of committing terrorist acts across India.[1]
The Argument
RSS emerged from the social movement in opposition to British Rule in India. But after Indian independence, the group committed terrorist acts in the name of Hindu nationalism.
The group and its offshoots have been accused of involvement in 17 terrorist acts. [2] One of its members, Nathuram Godse, was responsible for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. [3]
Narendra Modi joined the RSS and rose through its ranks. In the 1980s he joined the closely aligned Bharatiya Janata Party. At the time the party had just two MPs in parliament. By 1996 it had become the dominant party in parliament.
It is now the ruling party of the Indian government with Modi at the helm.[4]
Counter arguments
The RSS is not a terrorist organization. If it used violence to secure its political aims, India would be a much more unstable and violent place.
Consider the fact that the RSS has ten times as many members as terror organizations like the Islamic State.
If they were in the habit of using violence to advance their political objectives, India would be ten times more violent than the caliphate, but it isn’t. They also don’t actively procure weapons.
Additionally, the RSS has been involved in plenty of projects providing social good. They gave money and food to victims of the earthquake in Gujarat, floods in Karnataka, they have also given money to build schools, and helped local charities.
Framing
The RSS is a terrorist group. A member of a terrorist group is a terrorist.
Premises
[P1] The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is a terrorist organization.
[P2] Modi was a member of the RSS and is now part of its political wing.
[P3] Therefore, Modi is a terrorist.
Rejecting the premises
[Rejecting P1] The RSS is not a terrorist organization.
References
- https://www.trackingterrorism.org/group/rashtriya-swayamsevak-sangh-rss
- http://www.milligazette.com/news/14740-is-rss-a-terrorist-organisation-india
- https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/nathuram-godse-never-left-rss-says-his-family/articleshow/54159375.cms
- https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/12/09/blood-and-soil-in-narendra-modis-india