‘Churchill said India would be divided, but we proved him wrong’: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat

Mohan Bhagwat

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat stated on Sunday that India had defied predictions of collapse following independence. He cited former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s comment that India would not remain united after the end of British rule.

“Winston Churchill once said that after independence (from British rule), you (India) will not be able to survive and will be divided, but this did not happen. Now England itself is coming to the stage of division, but we will not be divided. We will move forward. We were once divided, but we will unite that again,” Bhagwat said.

The RSS chief's remarks came while he was addressing a gathering in Indore at the release of Madhya Pradesh minister Prahlad Singh Patel’s book Parikrama Kripa Saar.

Bhagwat stated that defying predictions, India continues to move forward on the path of development. He said that this has happened because the country is driven by its traditional philosophy of balancing knowledge, action, and devotion.

“Due to its belief in the traditional philosophy of the balanced trinity of knowledge, action, and devotion, Bharat is continuously moving ahead on the path of development by proving everyone’s predictions wrong,” the RSS chief noted.

Bhagwat observed that conflicts across the world were largely driven by personal interests, whereas India’s spiritual foundation had sustained its unity.

He further stated that the Indian culture spreads the message of unity by rising above the distinction of "mine and yours". "We are all actors in the drama of life and have to play our parts, and our true self emerges when the drama ends," Bhagwat added.

Chief minister Mohan Yadav, members of his cabinet, and people from various sections of society attended the event. Patel’s book is based on his circumambulation journeys of the Narmada River.