New Delhi: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat on Tuesday claimed the RSS never asks volunteers to work for any party and said "Hindutva" also meant acceptance of Muslims, painting a benevolent picture of an organisation widely believed to be the BJP's ideological parent.

"The RSS never asks swayamsevaks (volunteers) to work for any particular party," Bhagwat, who was delivering the second part of his three-day lecture series at Vigyan Bhavan, said as he sought to distance the Sangh from the ruling party.

"They (volunteers) are independent and act according to their discretion. But we do advise them to back those working in national interest."

Bhagwat did not clarify whether he considered the BJP the only party working in the national interest, but it's no secret that the Sangh loans volunteers to the party.

The BJP's national general secretary (organisation) - Ram Lal now holds the post - is also a loan from the RSS and acts as a bridge between the two.

Bhagwat denied the RSS's role in shaping government policies. "Often people make this speculation that a call from (RSS headquarters) Nagpur must be behind a particular decision. This is all baseless," he said.

Bhagwat claimed Hindutva was an inclusive ideology as he sought to rebut allegations that the Sangh was trying to turn India into a Hindu nation. "Hindu rashtra doesn't mean there's no place for Muslims. If we don't accept Muslims, it's not Hindutva."

"The Sangh talks of global brotherhood that envisages unity in diversity.... That's why we call it a Hindu rashtra," he said, in what appeared to be a bid to counter Rahul Gandhi.

The Congress chief had recently drawn a parallel between the RSS and the Muslim Brotherhood.