RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Wednesday termed “dharma” as “religion at the top of religion” and said that this concept can usher in world peace, calling upon India to start by taking the lead in bringing together its neighbours and stressing that most of these countries were “once part of Bharat”.
The RSS’s map of “Akhand Bharat” includes Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Tibet. Bhagwat apparently referred to it without directly talking about unification.
The sermon on world peace and bringing together neighbours like Pakistan, accused by India of sponsoring terrorism, from the head of the Hindutva outfit came on a day when steep tariffs imposed by the US kicked in, threatening lakhs of jobs in the country.
Bhagwat was speaking on the second day of his three-day lecture to mark 100 years of the RSS, aimed at expanding the influence and ideology of the outfit, often accused of fomenting polarisation.
“Most of India’s neighbouring countries were once part of Bharat. The people, geography, rivers, forests and everything else remain the same. Only lines were drawn on maps. So, our first duty should be that those who are ours should unite with a sense of belongingness,” he said.
“Since India is the largest country, it should take the lead to strive for peace, stability and development in these countries. Religion and community may be different, but culture and tradition remain the same,” Bhagwat added.
He said “extreme individualism, crass consumerism, radicalism and wokeism” had emerged as big threats to world peace and claimed that India can emerge as the beacon for the world with its concept of “dharma”.
“The solution lies in dharma, which is not a religion. Dharma is religion at the top of religion. Dharma respects diversity, including the environment. Dharma talks about balance. And Bharat can give solutions to this modern challenge the world is facing right now,” he said to the audience.
Appearing to brag about the rise in the Sangh’s influence, attributed mostly to BJP rule in the country for over a decade now, Bhagwat said that had he talked about this Indian concept of dharma in the past, nobody would have listened.
“Today, the Sangh’s influence has increased. People listen to us and take us seriously,” he said, urging the crowd of noted personalities from various fields to visit
the Sangh’s office and witness its work for the country and society.
Against the backdrop of US tariffs, Bhagwat pitched for making India self-reliant, stressing that the true spirit of “swadeshi” was to engage with other countries out of choice and not under pressure.
“Being aatmanirbhar (self-reliant) does not mean stopping imports. The world moves because it is interdependent. So export-import will continue. However, there should be no pressure in it. Swadeshi means not importing goods that we already have or can easily manufacture. Bringing outside goods hurts local vendors,” he said.
The RSS chief urged the audience to inculcate Indian values and self-reliance among their children, saying sikanji — sweet and salty lemon water — should be preferred over Coke and Sprite.