Mohan Bhagwat, the chief of India's Hindu group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) which is the ideological mentor of the country's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of prime minister Narendra Modi, has expressed support for the gay and transgender community, days before the government is due to respond to the apex court over petitions to legalise same-sex marriage.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat (Photo by SANJAY KANOJIA/AFP via Getty Images)
On January 6, the Supreme Court of India asked the Modi government to clear its stance on same-sex marriage in the country by February 15.
Speaking to a RSS-backed publication released recently, Bhagwat said the LGBT community "should have their own private and social space as they are humans and have the right to live as others".
Citing Hindu scriptures and mythology as the basis of his support for the communities, the RSS chief added, "Without much hullabaloo, we have found a way with a humane approach to provide them social acceptance."
Set up in 2025, the RSS is estimated to have millions of active members across India and overseas.
The organisation was also behind Modi's rise to power.
India decriminalised homosexuality in 2018 when it scrapped a colonial-era ban on gay sex, but the subject remains a taboo topic in the country of 1.4 billion people.
The Modi government has refused to legalise same-sex marriage in the past.
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