The release of a special postage stamp and a commemorative coin to mark the centenary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has sparked strong reactions from opposition parties, with Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of distorting history and undermining the Constitution.
On Wednesday, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh in a post on X, reminded Modi of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s comments on the RSS, sharing extracts from a July 18, 1948, letter Patel had written to Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee.
He shared extracts from a letter written by then home minister Patel to Mookerjee, in which he had said, "As regards the RSS and the Hindu Mahasabha, the case relating to Gandhiji's murder is sub-judice and I should not like to say anything about the participation of the two organisations, but our reports do confirm that, as a result of the activities of these two bodies, particularly the former, an atmosphere was created in the country in which such a ghastly tragedy became possible....
"The activities of the RSS constituted a clear threat to the existence of the government and the State. Our reports show that those activities, despite the ban, have not died down. Indeed, as time has marched on, the RSS circles are becoming more defiant and are indulging in their subversive activities in an increasing measure...."
In another post, Ramesh said, "Sardar Patel addressed a massive public gathering in Jaipur on Dec 19, 1948, and spoke forcefully on the RSS. Here is a report carried in the Hindustan Times the next day.
"It is our determined resolve that we will not allow RSS or any other communal organisation to throw the country back on the path of slavery or disintegration," Patel was quoted as saying in the newspaper report while addressing a gathering at Jaipur's Gandhinagar.
The CPI(M) called it a "grave injury and insult" to the Constitution, which the RSS had never accepted.
The party objected to the coin featuring the 'Bharat Mata' image promoted by the RSS and the stamp showing uniformed RSS volunteers at the 1963 Republic Day parade, saying it falsified history.
CPI(M) noted that evidence shows the parade was primarily a civilian gathering and that RSS participation, if any, was incidental and unreported.
The Left party accused the government of attempting to whitewash the RSS’s past, asserting that the organisation was distant from the freedom struggle and had strengthened British strategies of divide and rule.
It cited the RSS’s documented role in communal violence and alleged ongoing targeting of minority and marginalized communities.
CPI(M) said the Prime Minister’s actions undermined the dignity of his constitutional office. Party General Secretary M.A. Baby wrote that releasing the coin and stamp glorifying the RSS amounted to an insult to the Constitution and distorted India’s freedom struggle.
The Prime Minister earlier on Wednesday, lauded the RSS for its role in nation-building, highlighting the organisation’s support to freedom fighters and the sacrifices of its leaders during the struggle for independence.
Modi said the Sangh had always put the nation first and had faced multiple attempts to suppress it, including false cases and bans, without harboring bitterness. He praised the RSS for its contribution to society and its commitment to the principle of nation first.
The commemorative coin features the RSS motto "Rashtray Swaha, Idam Rashtraya, Idam Na Mama," translating to "Everything is dedicated to the nation, Everything is the nation's, Nothing is mine."
The stamp depicts RSS swayamsevaks’ participation in the 1963 Republic Day parade, underlining the organisation’s historic contributions, as presented by the government during the centenary celebrations.
Modi called the RSS an organisation that continued to serve the nation despite facing allegations, bans, and other challenges, stressing that it remained committed to national interest over bitterness.