The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh celebrated its centenary on Vijayadashami at the Reshimbagh ground in Nagpur on October 2. RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat led the occasion with former President Ram Nath Kovind as the chief guest.
The future of India will be shaped and decided by the choices the RSS makes now, argues Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh will mark its centenary year with events beginning from Vijayadashami on October 2, which will include an address by its chief Mohan Bhagwat in the presence of former president Ramnath Kovind who will be the chief guest.
Authorities in Chittapur, Karnataka, have denied permission for an RSS route march citing potential disruption of peace and law and order, amidst rising tensions and counter-protests.
'...to build a consensus, not conflict or struggle.'
He said terrorists crossed the border and killed 26 Indians after checking their religion in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, which drew a fitting response from the country, referring to Operation Sindoor.
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.
A timeline of key events that shaped the RSS' journey, including the various highs and lows, as the organization approaches its 100th anniversary.
Prime Minister Modi will visit RSS headquarters in Nagpur on March 30.
Former Indian Space Research Organisation chief K Radhakrishnan will be the chief guest at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's annual 'Vijayadashami' event on October 12 in Nagpur.
'BJP and RSS may have differences over minor issues but their hearts long for one common aim -- that of A Hindu Rashtra.' 'And this time to prove this point the RSS has prepared to help BJP win this election with all its might.'
Mahadevan said after he got the invitation to attend the RSS event as the chief guest, he received congratulatory calls from many people, a gesture which he found deeply touching.
'No one is propagating RSS ideology as a government officer.'
Since 2014, many of Mohan Bhagwat's speeches have acted as cues for government policy.
'More than 9.5% new voters have been added to the electoral voters' list compared to the 2024 Lok Sabha election.' 'This led to an increase in about 5% to 6% in total votes polled for this assembly election.' 'That has tilted hugely in our favour because we worked hard for registration of these voters and concentrated on bringing out these new voters out during this assembly election.'
The RSS has decided that this year the festive occasion will only be addressed by RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat and not by chief guests.
'If the RSS should be saluted for choosing such a scholarly statesman to address its highly trained cadre, one must also praise Pranab Da's sagacity for having gracefully accepting the invitation, thus disapproving any ideological apartheid,' says former BJP MP Tarun Vijay.
Political power has now been outsourced fully to the Modi government. Even if the RSS is still, in principle, his guru, nobody would dare to whisper a word of advice to Modi, forget some whiff of criticism. When the shishya grows into such a popular and domineering leader, the guru has to applaud from the sidelines, points out Shekhar Gupta.
Voicing his displeasure over several incidents of mob violence in the country, he said, "Lynching is not the word from Indian ethos, its origin is from a story in a separate religious text. We Indians trust in brotherhood. Don't impose such terms on Indians."
Speaking at the RSS's annual Vijayadashami rally in Nagpur which was broadcast online and attended 50 swayamsevaks (volunteers) due to the COVID-19 guidelines, Bhagwat said when the Sangh says Hindustan is 'Hindu Rashtra', it does not have any political or power-centered concept in its mind.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Wednesday said scare-mongering was being done by some that there was a danger to minorities, but asserted that this is neither the nature of the Sangh nor of Hindus.
'On the one hand it will appeal to pan-Hindu sentiment and on the other opposition to it could well strengthen support for the BJP among Hindu voters.'
In his annual Vijayadashmi address, the RSS chief also spoke about "urban maoism", the Sabarimala row and the need to strengthen the country's borders.
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