RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Tuesday claimed that the term “Hindu Rashtra” was not based on any religion, as he flagged off a three-day lecture series to mark 100 years of the Sangh.
The event is being widely viewed as an attempt by the outfit to assert its ideological dominance over the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah dispensation.
Addressing around 1,300 eminent citizens from different walks of life who were invited for the lecture at Vigyan Bhavan, Bhagwat said “Hindu Rashtra” had nothing to do with political power and went on to assert that people living in the broad landmass of “Akhand Bharat”, who “share the same DNA for over 40,000 years”, have been termed Hindus by “outsiders”. The lecture has been themed “100 Years’ Journey of RSS:
New Horizons”.
The Opposition has often accused the Sangh Parivar, led by the RSS-BJP, of striving to turn secular India into a “Hindu Rashtra” based on religion, and Bhagwat appeared to be countering this line of argument.
“Hindu Rashtra is not for power as it is not based on religion,” Bhagwat said. He sought to project a liberal picture of Hindus, beyond one religion.
“The meaning of being Hindu is to follow your own path without demeaning others’ faith. Those who follow this tradition are Hindus. And the reason behind this tradition is Bharatvarsh (undivided India),” he said.
The invitees included former judges, bureaucrats, ambassadors, army officers and other notable personalities from different fields. Ministers in the current Modi government, such as Jyotiraditya Scindia, and MP Kangana Ranaut were also present at the event.
Over two days, the Sangh chief will speak about the journey of the RSS and its work. On Thursday, he is to answer questions from the audience.
The Sangh completes 100 years on Vijaya Dashami (October 2) this year, and lectures by Bhagwat will be held in Calcutta, Bengaluru and Mumbai apart from Delhi.
Bhagwat divided Hindus into four categories and claimed that the diversity of the country doesn’t hinder its unity.
“There are four categories of Hindus — those who consider themselves Hindus and take pride in it, those that consider themselves Hindus but do not take pride in it, those who know they are Hindu but do not even mention it, and those who don’t even consider themselves Hindus,” he said.
Bhagwat said many people who were opposed to the Sangh earlier had come to embrace it, and many were still on the other side. “But the Sangh doesn’t despise them. They are ours too,” he said.
Bhagwat had held a similar lecture at the same venue in 2018, but the latest series across cities comes at a time the Sangh gears up to celebrate 100 years of its formation against the backdrop of the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah duopoly’s attempt to secure unbridled dominance of the BJP.
Internally, several BJP old-timers said that the lectures by Bhagwat were aimed at asserting the Sangh’s ideological dominance. “The RSS chief wants to underline that the Sangh is the parent of the BJP and the party can’t be hijacked by any individual or individuals,” an ex-Union minister said.
Bhagwat said the RSS’s aim and essence was “devotion towards Bharat” and making the country a “Vishwaguru”, the guiding force of the world.
“The purpose of the RSS’s establishment is for Bharat, its functioning is for Bharat, and its significance lies in Bharat becoming a Vishwaguru. The time for Bharat’s contribution to the world has come,” he said. Bhagwat pointed out that the RSS was founded in 1925 by K.B. Hedgewar, a “born patriot”.
While refraining from directly slamming the Congress, he said independent India had not yet achieved its rightful global standing in the 75 years since Independence. “Before Independence, a movement named the Indian National Congress was launched to awaken people. Today, many political parties have emerged from that movement. After Independence, had this movement been given the right direction, today the picture would have been different,” Bhagwat said.