RSS praises Modi government, calls for unity

Bhagwat accepted that unity in diversity had benefited India but linked it to Hindutva, claiming “it is our eternal culture, Hindu culture, that accepts and respects all forms of diversity”. Now we are not anxious.

He listed the Mudra Bank, Jan Dhan Yojana, Swachh Bharat, voluntary surrender of cooking gas subsidy and skill development as “useful” initiatives of the Modi government but cautioned that their efficacy would depend on getting “credible” data on their working from the ground.

In his annual Dussehra address to Swayamasevaks, he also urged people to remain united. “With rise in population, the burden on the country will grow”. He also commented on the many castes trying to compete with each other for proving their backwardness and said we should not not allow anybody to harbour such intentions.

He was addressing RSS volunteers in Nagpur at a function marking the 90th foundation day of the organisation. “And yet today, we talk about how Ram ruled…Today we want Ram Rajya not Ravan Rajya in India”, he said.

Bhagwat lauded the Modi government’s performance on the global stage.

“We have to guard against them. Why should we ape the West when our ideologies are time-tested”, he said. A new idea of India is rising in the world.

In his speech, Bhagwat repeatedly called for a dialogue for settling contentious issues.

However, the change should come from within and not be guided by cheap popularity or political incentives as it could affect social cohesion and harmony, he said.

“Commercialisation of education must stop. Such a population policy can not be enforced by our governments or laws, all alone”, he said.

“The core principle of making India a stronger nation is to ensure unity”, the chief of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of Modi’s BJP, said. “The ruling party in New Delhi is the BJP, but the decisions taken by the BJP Government is that of RSS policies”, Congress leader P. C. Chacko said while asserting that the hidden agenda of the BJP and RSS is communalising the Indian society. “Upadhyaya conceptualised Bharatiyata, which means culture, which unlike western thoughts sees life as an integrated whole”, said Saraswat.