Congress leaders need to get their basic facts right about RSS

The RSS doesn’t believe in public posturing.

A senior leader and former union minister of Congress recently published an article where he analysed the Vijaydashami speech of Sarsanghchalak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Mohan Bhagwat.

There are certain factual errors in the article and it also reflects a bias to create controversies around the Sangh’s stand on certain issues especially in context of the RSS-BJP relationship.

First about the facts, the article quotes a statement of Bhagwat which he made in July, 2024. A particular phrase has been picked out of this speech without mentioning the context and made it look like a remark meant for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The article quotes Bhagwat as saying, “a man wants to become Superman, then a Dev, and then a Bhagwan”. It has been construed mischievously that Bhagwat was referring to Modi.

Misrepresentation of Key Quotes

Now here is the context when you look at the full speech. Bhagwat was speaking about the Bharatiya development models and how human beings should adopt a balanced approach while creating development models. He was talking about the fact that while going for growth and development, human beings often try to dominate nature as “a man wants to become Superman, then a Dev, and then a Bhagwan.”

The article also uses another quote of Bhagwat which has been taken out of his speech at the valedictory session of the RSS’ third year training camp at Nagpur. The article quotes Bhagwat as saying “Shed arrogance, practise modesty” and then draws a conclusion that “the speech was widely interpreted as pointing to Mr Modi and his election campaign.” Again, the context has been missing and hence this erroneous conclusion.

Here is the context of this particular statement. Bhagwat was addressing a gathering where the hand-picked volunteers of the RSS had just finished their third-year training camp (Karyakarta Vikas Varga). There is only one such camp held annually by the RSS at its headquarters. It is usually a month-long camp. This is a prestigious camp and only hand-picked volunteers are invited to be a part of it. Most of the trainees who come out of this camp usually become RSS Pracharaks (full timers) and hold important positions within the RSS. This valedictory session is held every year and the gathering comprises eminent people from different walks of life who are leaders in their own respective fields and are generally seen as role models. This year also, this gathering was a mix of the RSS volunteers finishing their camp, scheduled to hold important positions within the organisations and the eminent people from different walks of life. Bhagwat’s speech was a caution to the gathering and more so for its own volunteers to “Shed arrogance, practise modesty”.

RSS’s Non-Political Nature 

The article also raises the issue that why the RSS has not congratulated the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister for winning elections. Such baseless conclusions, that the former union minister drew, are an outcome of the lack of understanding of the functioning, structure and evolution of the RSS. The first and the foremost characteristic of the RSS is that it is a non-political organisation. So, it doesn’t congratulate any political party for assuming a political office.

The second important aspect is that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is a political party inspired by the ideals of the RSS but it works autonomously. It isn’t like that RSS is a school principal and BJP is a mischievous boy who has to be rapped on the knuckles repeatedly to keep under control.

 It would be naïve to think that if Bhagwat has to convey some message to Modi, who himself has spent larger part of his life as an RSS Pracharak, then he would do it through public speeches. The RSS doesn’t believe in public posturing. If some concern or message has to be conveyed, then there are some RSS pracharaks who work as organising secretaries at the national and the state units of the BJP. They are used as communication channels. But that is also done exceptionally as RSS stays away from the day-to-day functioning of all its ideological mentees.

Communication Channels Between RSS and BJP

There are around three dozen RSS inspired organisations currently working in various walks of life. BJP is one of them. The mechanism for coordination between the RSS and these three organisations is similar. The RSS workers loaned out to these organisations as organising and deputy organising secretaries carry the message. And then there are a few all-India level coordination level meetings where representatives of all these organisations come together. BJP is no exception to that.

Right since 2014, when Modi led BJP and its allies swept to power, there has been a consistent effort to create a false narrative that there is a ‘power struggle’ between Modi and Amit Shah led BJP and the RSS. Nothing could be farther away from this truth. The Modi government removed Article 370, facilitated construction of Ram Temple, brought in CAA, adopted a robust foreign and national security policy and is also working on the issues like Waqf Board and Uniform Civil Code. These are the issues which RSS wanted to be resolved for more than seven decades and the Modi government has done it. RSS has repeatedly endorsed working of the Modi government in most of the areas and even in this Vijaydashami speech, Bhagwat categorically said that India’s graph has been rising satisfactorily.

However, the Congress leadership has been relentlessly attacking the RSS and attempts are made to create an imaginary fault line between the two organisations. 

Earlier RSSFACTS columns can be read here.