Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Tuesday that “we do not believe uniformity is necessary for unity; there is unity in diversity too. Diversity is a product of unity.”

The first usage of the phrase “unity in diversity” to describe India is usually ascribed to the man the RSS-backed government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi loves to vilify, Jawaharlal Nehru.

The RSS chief has emphasised India’s “unity in diversity” before.

In March, inaugurating a six-day national training camp for 700 full-time karyakartas in Bhopal, he said, “India’s culture of unity in diversity… needs to be preserved. Indian culture always laid emphasis on unity and harmony in the society and it should be preserved.”

Earlier this month, while speaking at the inauguration of the newly built 'Dharmjagran Nyas' office in Bhagwan Nagar in Nagpur, Bhagwat said, “sanatan dharma's essence lies in embracing diversity with warmth and respect.”

"Despite differences, India's people are ultimately one. Accepting diversity is true dharma. It is not restricted to God but exists for society. When practised in the right spirit, dharma brings balance and peace," he said, adding 'dharm Jagran' was essential to sustain Hindu practice beyond scriptures by awakening purity, truth, penance, and compassion.

Speaking at a lecture series in Delhi on the organisation’s centenary, Bhagwat also urged that discussions on the RSS be based on facts, not perceptions.

“Discussion on RSS should be based on facts and not on perception,” the RSS chief said.

Bhagwat also referred to the civilisational continuity of the subcontinent saying that the DNA of people living in India for the past 40,000 years is one; and “it is our culture to live together.”

The RSS chief also invoked Indian philosophy... “The foundation of Indian philosophy is ‘I am in all and all are in me’ which defines every individual as an inseparable part of the society and our responsibility is to preserve and maintain it.”