He said, in the upcoming 25 years, the Sangh aims to unite the entire Hindu society, and take "Bharat" to the pinnacle of glory — and eventually, to extend this transformation to the whole world.
Published May 26, 2025 | 8:55 AM ⚊ Updated May 26, 2025 | 8:55 AM
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. (RSS)
Synopsis: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat reiterated the organisation’s stance that India is a “Hindu Rashtra”. He claimed that everything has to be done while maintaining the core idea
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday, 24 May, reiterated the organisation’s stance that India is a “Hindu Rashtra”.
He made the claim in an interview with Organiser editor Prafulla Ketkar, Panchjanya Sampadak Hitesh Shankar, editor of Marathi Weekly Vivek Ashwini Mayekar and associate editor of Malayalam daily Janmabhoomi M Balakrishnan — publications linked with the Sangh Parivar — in the backdrop of the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha of RSS on 21-23 March.
“What is nitya in the Sangh? Balasaheb once said, “Hindustan is a Hindu Rashtra’. Apart from this, everything else in the Sangh is transient. The entire Hindu society is the accountable custodian of this nation. The nature and sanskriti of this country is Hindu. Therefore, this is a Hindu Rashtra,” he said in response to a question.
He claimed that everything has to be done while maintaining the core idea that India is a Hindu Rashtra.
“Hence, the Sangh Swayamsevak, while taking the oath, explicitly states about: ‘the all-round development of the Hindu Rashtra while protecting the sacred Hindu Dharma, Hindu Sanskriti and Hindu society’,” he added.
When asked about the Sangh’s vision regarding national security, military strength, and economic power, he said: “We must strive for strength. As we pray through the daily Prarthana: “Ajayyaṁ cha viśvasya dehīśa śaktim” — ‘Grant us such a strength that globally we are invincible’.”
Bhagwat said true strength is internal, and we must not be dependent on others, but should be able to defend ourselves for national security.
“No one should be able to conquer us — not even if multiple powers come together. There are evil forces in the world who are aggressive by nature. A virtuous person is not safe just because of his virtues; hence, virtues should be combined with strength. Mere brute power can be directionless, leading to blatant violence; hence, power should be combined with righteousness. So we must worship for both virtues and strength,” he said.
“For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the wicked, should be the nature of our power. When no option is available, then wickedness has to be eradicated forcefully. WE are not doing this to dominate the world trade, but to ensure that everyone should be able to lead a peaceful, healthy and empowered life. We have no option but to be powerful as we have been witnessing the wickedness of the evil forces on all our borders,” he added.
Throwing light into the linguistic, religious, and cultural inclusivity in the Sangh, Bhagwat said people from all languages, sects, and backgrounds work together with great joy.
“The Sangh songs are there not just in Hindi but in multiple languages. Each language has poets, singers and composers who compose patriotic and inspirational songs of the Sangh, and yet the three songs in different languages assigned during the Sangh Shiksha Varg are sung across Bharat. While retaining the unique identity, everyone is working by upholding the sense of one nationhood and unity and integrity of the nation. This is Sangh – that provides a thread to put all diversities in one garland of unity,” he said.
He said, in the upcoming 25 years, the Sangh aims to unite the entire Hindu society, and take “Bharat” to the pinnacle of glory — and eventually, to extend this transformation to the whole world.
“Dr Hedgewar envisioned this in 1920 itself—he urged the Congress to declare that total independence (purna swarajya) must be our goal and an independent Bharat must liberate other nations from capitalist bondage,” Bhagwat said. He claimed that the glorious nature of Hindu society will bring glory to India.
“As Hindu society and Bharat are intertwined, the glorious nature of Hindu society will bring glory for Bharat. Such a strong Hindu society can only present a model for taking along the people of Bharat who do not consider themselves Hindus, as at one point they were also Hindus. If the Hindu society of Bharat becomes strong, then automatically, Hindus will gain strength globally. This work is going on, but it is not yet complete. Slowly but surely, that situation is evolving,” Bhagwat said.
“This time, the way anguish against the atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh has been expressed is unprecedented. Even Local Hindus now say, “We won’t flee. We’ll stay and fight for our rights,” he said.
“Now, the internal strength of the Hindu society is increasing. As the organisation grows, its impact will translate naturally. Until then, we must keep fighting. Wherever Hindus are in the world, we will do everything possible for them, following the international norms. Sangh exists for the same. Swayamsevaks take oath ‘to work for all-over development of the Hindu Rashtra by protecting Dharma, Sanskriti, and society’,” he added.
He said the Hindu society must awaken, forgetting internal divisions and selfishness, and shape personal, family, social, and professional life based on Dharmic values rooted in Hindutva.
“That will pave the way for a powerful, righteous and self-reliant Bharat. The world is waiting for a new path, and Bharat, meaning Hindu society, has to provide it as a divine duty. Agricultural, industrial and scientific revolutions are over. Now the world needs a Dharmik revolution — I am not talking about religion, but based on human life has to be reorganised based on Truth, Purity, Compassion, and Austerity,” Bhagwat said.
“The world needs this, and Bharat has to inevitably show that path. We must understand the importance of our Sangh work. There is a need to rise beyond the ‘Me and My Family’ mindset, build such active lives of moving forward together, so that we become living examples for the world,” he added.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
