In one of his briefest Vijaydashmi addresses in thirteen years, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat turned outward, devoting more attention than usual to global affairs, uprisings in neighbouring countries, and India’s role in a shifting world order. References to international issues rose to 1.24 percent of his 2025 speech, up from 0.69 percent in the previous year.
Bhagwat opened by situating the address in the centenary year of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, invoking the legacies of Guru Teg Bahadur, Mahatma Gandhi, and Lal Bahadur Shastri. But he quickly pivoted to regional instability, pointing to regime changes and protests in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal.
“These neighbouring countries are linked with Bharat on the basis of both culture and long-standing ties between citizens… Peace, stability, prosperity, and ensuring comfort and wellbeing in these countries is a necessity,” he said.
The speech also touched on cross-border security threats. Referring to the killing of 26 Hindu tourists in Pahalgam earlier this year, Bhagwat praised the government’s “fitting response” while warning that India must “remain as vigilant as possible and further develop our security capabilities.” He added that the episode tested “who our friends are in the global arena and to what extent they are willing to stand by us.”
Economic and environmental concerns featured prominently in the global framing. Bhagwat warned against over-reliance on Western economic models and American tariff policies, stressing the need for Atmanirbharta and Swadeshi.
“The world operates through mutual interdependence,” he said, adding that “the world requires a new model based on this holistic and integrated outlook… Destiny demands that Bharatiya citizens provide a model worthy of emulation through their own example,” he said.
The statistical backdrop underscores the shift in priorities. Nationalism, which accounted for 1.91 percent of speech share in 2023, fell to 1.68 percent this year, while society declined to 1.33 percent. By contrast, economy rose to 0.53 percent, its highest in a decade, and culture increased to 0.29 percent, the strongest since 2018. Mentions of environment, women, and education, which had increased post pandemic slipped.
The 2025 speech, at 3,394 words, was notably shorter than 2024’s 5,065-word address or 2023’s 4,711 words. Bhagwat framed his message around the Sangh’s centenary mission: character building (Vyakti Nirman), Panch Parivartan (five initiatives on social harmony, family values, environment, self-reliance, and civic duty), and positioning Hindu society as “the upholder and guardian of the noble idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.”
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