Leader of influential Hindu group backs LGBT rights in IndiaNEW DELHI, Jan 11 (Reuters) - The leader of a Hindu group that is the parent organisation of India's ruling party has come out in support of the gay and transgender community, days before the government is due to respond to the Supreme Court about petitions to legalise same-sex marriage.India decriminalised homosexuality when it scrapped a colonial-era ban on gay sex in 2018, but it remains a taboo topic in this socially conservative country of 1.4 billion.But the recent comments by Mohan Bhagwat, chief of the powerful Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which is the fountainhead of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), could force the government to reassess its opposition, said a junior minister in the federal government and a senior BJP leader, both declining to be named as they were not authorised to speak to the media.He cited Hindu scriptures and mythology as the basis of his support, and added: "Without much hullabaloo, we have found a way with a humane approach to provide them social acceptance."This month, India's Supreme Court started hearing petitions to recognise same-sex marriages after four gay couples stated that without legal recognition, they can not have access to rights such as those linked to medical consent, pensions, adoption or even club memberships."