Valentine's Day
School students burn greeting cards during a protest against Valentine's Day celebrations in Ahmedabad on February 13  2013.Reuters file

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Indresh Kumar on Friday said that the "western" tradition of celebrating Valentine's Day is responsible for rape, illegitimate children, and violence against women in India.

Kumar made the statement while addressing RSS volunteers on the completion of a training programme in Jaipur. The RSS leader said that love holds  "sacredness" and "piousness" in India, but the West has commercialised it and conceptualised the festival.

"In India, love has been sacred and pious. It has been sung as the tales of Radha-Krishna, Laila-Majnu and Heer-Ranjha but the western culture commercialised love and gave birth to festival of Valentines day which is now responsible for problems like rape, illegitimate children and violence on women," he said.

"Not only India, the entire world is facing this problem today," Kumar said. He also urged people to boycott the use of Chinese products during festival season, claiming that the sale of products made in China has affected the jobs of around 3 crore people in India.

Kumar added that the RSS "purifies" the soul and the character of a person and imparts humane and moral values to whoever opts to join the Sangh.

"A movement should be run for purification of peoples' soul so that the society and the nation can progress," he said. Kumar also added that the RSS is against untouchability and casteism, and that every volunteer should "pledge to contribute to eradicate such evils."

Kumar also slammed those who pelted stones at the Indian defence forces in Kashmir, saying, "Our defence forces are targeted in Kashmir. Those who pelt stones and slaughter cows have no human or moral rights." 

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