The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday defended Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat's remark that ''rapes occur frequently in India not in Bharat'', saying the present controversy is totally uncalled for and unnecessary.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat at the RSS office in Mumbai on Monday, August 1, 2022.
'Mohanji is a living example of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, showing that when we rise above boundaries and consider everyone as our own, it strengthens trust, brotherhood and equality in society.'
A BMC spokesperson said the average voter turnout stood at 29.96 per cent till 1.30 pm in the metropolis, which has more than 1 crore eligible electors.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Brinda Karat on Friday lashed out at Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat for his remark that rapes are rare in 'Bharat' (rural India) but occur frequently in 'India', saying this reflects the mentality, which refuses to accept the reality of caste oppression or class driven exploitation of women.
He also said 'Akhand Bharat' was true but divided Bharat was a "nightmare".
'The move to appoint a person with a profile, markedly lower than the leader Nitin Nabin will replace, has the potential to put the brakes on the careers of several others in the party and government in the positions they currently hold,' points out Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
From a modest start with baithaks of a handful of swayamsevaks in a small town in Nagpur, the RSS, which completes 100 years of its foundation on Thursday, has come a long way to become the world's biggest voluntary organisation with a pan-India presence, shaping the country's political and social discourse.
Social media giant Twitter on Saturday removed the blue verification tick from the accounts of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat and other senior functionaries only to restore it after a lot of hue and cry by Sangh sympathisers on social media.
Top Congress leaders attacked the BJP and election commissioners at a rally in Delhi, alleging election irregularities and demanding action against those involved in 'vote chori'.
Some elements are creating obstacles in the path of India's development and are fearful of its rise on the global stage, but they will not succeed, he asserted.
Former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur, acquitted in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, alleges torture by investigating officers and pressure to implicate Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other prominent figures.
"But I am not talking about any competition -- about more than them, less than them," the RSS chief added quickly.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday visited Dr Hedgewar Smruti Mandir in Nagpur and paid tributes at memorials dedicated to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, and second sarsanghchalak (chief) M S Golwalkar.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's visit to a mosque and his meeting with the head of an organisation of imams were not a deviation from the outfit's line, its senior leader Indresh Kumar said on Friday.
Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge denies discussing leadership change with Rahul Gandhi, stating the meeting focused on AI personal computers and 'vote chori' cases. He maintains the Congress high command will decide on any CM change.
'Mr Modi has the power and pre-eminence in the BJP-RSS to choose how long he wants to serve, and he is definitely going to want to contest in 2029.' 'He will only be 79, as old as Donald Trump now, and fitter,' observes Shekhar Gupta.
The Muslim community uses family planning tool, condom the most in order to maintain a gap between two children, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen Chief Asaduddin Owaisi has claimed.
In the meeting, which has come at a time when the Gyanvapi mosque issue is being heard in courts, it was decided to build a platform for strengthening communal harmony in the country.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has condemned a "totally false and baseless propaganda" by certain media organisations that the Supreme Court pulled up its chief Mohan Bhagwat on Wednesday during the hearing of a case in connection with the Malegaon blasts. "During the hearing in the Supreme Court, there was not even a mention of Bhagwat's name," RSS publicity chief Manmohan Vaidya said in a statement.
I wish they will spare her and not let her life's dedicated efforts be judged," said Vadra.
Seventeen years after the Babri Masjid was pulled down, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday said there was no question for the Sangh to regret for what had happened and maintained that their full support to the "Ram temple movement" would continue.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat admitted there were some members in the Sangh who had radical views but they were told to leave the organisation since this "extremism" will not work in the outfit.
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Given Modi's track record from the time he became Gujarat chief minister in October 2001, it is highly improbable that Nabin will get opportunities to display his individual capacity. Even the team of organisational leaders that he will 'appoint' in a few weeks or months, will unlikely to be his choice, predicts Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Thursday said it had no "official link" with Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement and nobody had sought its support for the campaign.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat were among the early voters to exercise their franchise as polling was underway on Wednesday for the state assembly elections.
The idol of Ram Lalla was unveiled on Monday at Shri Ram Janmaboomi Temple in Ayodhya in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The latest issue of "Organiser", an RSS-linked magazine, has argued that the ongoing dispute over the Shri Harihar Mandir in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, is not about religious supremacy but about seeking "civilisational justice" by uncovering historical truth. The editorial, penned by Prafulla Ketkar, editor of "Organiser", contends that the debate should not be limited to a Hindu-Muslim perspective but should encompass a wider discussion on historical truths and social justice. The magazine further criticizes the Congress's handling of caste and religious issues, accusing it of whitewashing historical injustices and promoting a false narrative about Mughal rulers.
Speaking at an event in Nagpur, he also said the 'Akhand Bharat' or undivided India will become a reality before today's youngsters become old, as those who separated from India in 1947 are now feeling that they made a mistake.
'Everybody knows that both of them will face loss if they are going to fight over a matter'
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has invited acclaimed mountaineer Santosh Yadav to be the chief guest at its annual Dussehra function in Nagpur.
Asked if he represented views of his party amid the logjam over government formation in the state, Raut said, "I put forth views of Uddhav Thackeray."
'This will be a close election. At least now, it appears that the NDA has an edge.'
Bharatiya Janata Party Minority Morcha on Sunday said Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat's 'Hindu nation' comments were made in the social context and not a religious one.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday said violence does not benefit anybody and emphasised the need to bring together all communities and preserve humanity, comments coming against the backdrop of the recent clashes between different groups in several parts of the country.
Jaffer said minorities should not have any fear or crisis of confidence over Bhagwat's name being considered for the coveted post.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Friday sought to quell the suggestions of its rift with the Bharatiya Janata Party and that Mohan Bhagwat's recent critical references related to the Lok Sabha polls were aimed at the ruling party, insisting that such claims are just speculation meant to create confusion.
Let there be no doubt that Modi in these 24 years so far has reshaped politics and governance considerably, if not completely, asserts Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, author, Narendra Modi: The Man, The Times.
He said discussions were held on this issue later but no effort was made to remove them from the preamble.