RSS Cannot Be Understood Through BJP Lens, Says Mohan Bhagwat

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Friday said that attempting to understand the Sangh by looking at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would be a “huge mistake”, asserting that the RSS is a unique organisation and was not born as a reaction or in opposition to any force.

Bhagwat was addressing a gathering in Bhopal as part of the RSS’s centenary-related programmes being held across the country. He is scheduled to address two more sessions on Saturday.

The RSS chief rejected the view that the organisation should be seen through the prism of the BJP, even though the Sangh is widely regarded as the ideological parent of the Jana Sangh and its successor, the BJP. “If you want to understand the Sangh by looking at the BJP, it will be a huge mistake. The same mistake will happen if you try to understand it by looking at Vidya Bharti,” Bhagwat was quoted as saying by PTI.

He also dismissed the perception of the RSS as a paramilitary organisation. “We wear a uniform, take out marches and do stick exercises. But if someone thinks it is a paramilitary organisation, it will be a mistake,” he said, describing the Sangh as a body that works to unite society and instil values and discipline so that India does not again fall under foreign domination.

Bhagwat said a “false narrative” was being created about the RSS and criticised the tendency to rely on superficial sources for information. “People do not go to the origin. They go to Wikipedia. Everything is not true there. Those who go to reliable sources will get to know about the Sangh,” he said.

Referring to his outreach during the Sangh’s centenary year, Bhagwat said it had become necessary to explain the organisation’s role and purpose. “There is a common feeling that the Sangh was born as a reaction or opposition to the prevailing forces. This is not the case. The Sangh is not a reaction or opposition to anything, nor is it competing with anyone,” he said.

Push for Swadeshi

Bhagwat also advocated the use of Swadeshi goods, linking self-reliance with self-pride. “To become ‘Atmanirbhar’, you need Atma Gaurav,” he said, urging people to buy products made in India that generate local employment.

He clarified that Swadeshi does not mean cutting off trade with the world. “Import essentials such as medicines that are not produced in India,” he said, adding that trade should never be conducted under pressure or fear of tariffs and must be carried out on India’s own terms.