Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday authored a newspaper article to heap praise on RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on his 75th birthday, signalling a continued effort to woo the Sangh leadership and mend ties with the BJP’s ideological fountainhead.

The article published in some prominent dailies and posted on Modi’s personal website read like a tribute to a national hero, prompting the Congress to term it a desperate bid to curry favour with the Sangh.

Modi wrote: “There is something else about this day which is noteworthy. Today is the birthday of a personality who, inspired by the principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, has dedicated his entire life to societal transformation and strengthening the spirit of harmony and fraternity. For lakhs of people associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, he is respectfully referred to as Param Pujya Sarsanghchalak. Yes, I am referring to Shri Mohan Bhagwat Ji, whose 75th birthday is, incidentally, falling in the same year when the RSS marks its centenary. I would like to convey my best wishes to him and pray for his long and healthy life.”

Modi’s 75th birthday is on September 17, and the eulogy comes after the Sangh chief last month clarified that he had never called upon leaders to step aside after attaining 75 years. “I never said I will retire or someone else should retire,” Bhagwat had said.

In June, Bhagwat had referred to an observation by a Sangh stalwart to suggest that leaders should gracefully step aside after attaining a certain age. The BJP under Modi-Shah has been accused of using the unofficial retirement age of 75 to sideline many party stalwarts.

The birthday piece was seen as part of Modi’s outreach to the Sangh against the backdrop of the BJP’s underwhelming performance in the last general election. Bhagwat had slammed the “ahankar” (arrogance) of the “sevak” (Modi calls himself Pradhan Sevak and not PM) after the BJP slipped below the majority mark in the Lok Sabha.
This was read as a clear sign of discord between the BJP and the RSS.

The first placatory gesture came with Modi’s maiden visit as Prime Minister to the RSS’s Nagpur headquarters in March this year. Sharing the stage with Bhagwat, Modi described the RSS as the “akshay vat” (immortal banyan tree) of India’s “immortal culture”. Modi continued the effort as he hailed the RSS for 100 years of “service to the nation” in his Independence Day address from the ramparts of the
Red Fort.

Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, slammed Modi’s article. “The Prime Minister, in his desperate bid to curry favour with the RSS leadership, has written an over-the-top tribute to Mohan Bhagwat on his 75th birthday today,” Ramesh posted on X.

In the article, Modi not only commended Bhagwat’s role in transforming the RSS but also sought to disclose his very private side, stressing that he can play a range of musical instruments and sing. “Beyond his busy schedule, Mohan Ji has always found time to pursue passions like music and singing. Few people know that he is very versatile in various Indian musical instruments,” Modi wrote.

Sections in the wider Sangh parivar felt that the rare praise for Bhagwat could be aimed at securing the RSS’s “no objection” for the appointment of the next BJP president of Modi-Shah’s choice.