RSS Not a Paramilitary Organisation, Can’t Be Understood Through BJP: Mohan Bhagwat

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Friday said that despite wearing a uniform and conducting physical exercises, the Sangh is not a paramilitary organisation, and attempting to understand it through the prism of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would be a “huge mistake”.

Addressing a gathering of prominent citizens, Bhagwat said the RSS works to unite society and instil values and virtues so that India never again falls under foreign domination.

“We wear a uniform, take out marches and do stick exercises. But if someone thinks the Sangh is a paramilitary organisation, it would be a mistake,” he said, adding that the RSS is a unique organisation that cannot be easily categorised.

Bhagwat stressed that the Sangh should not be viewed through its affiliated organisations either. “If you try to understand the Sangh by looking at the BJP or Vidya Bharti, it will be a huge mistake,” he said. The RSS is widely regarded as the ideological parent of the former Jana Sangh and its successor, the BJP.

The RSS chief said a “false narrative” was being created about the organisation, blaming superficial sources of information. “People no longer go to the origin of facts. They go to Wikipedia. Everything written there is not true,” he remarked.

He said the Sangh grooms swayamsevaks by inculcating values and a sense of national purpose but does not control them. “The Sangh does not operate anyone by remote control. It works to create a patriotic environment through its shakhas,” Bhagwat said.

Rejecting the notion that the RSS was formed as a reaction to prevailing forces, he said, “The Sangh is not a reaction, opposition or competitor to anyone.”

Bhagwat also reflected on India’s history of repeated invasions, saying political freedom had been achieved, but “mental slavery” still existed and needed to be overcome through unity and self-awareness.

Advocating Swadeshi and self-reliance, he urged people to buy goods made in India that generate employment, while clarifying that being Swadeshi does not mean cutting off trade with the world. “Trade should happen on our own terms, without fear or pressure,” he said.

He said the RSS was financially self-reliant and had endured decades of opposition, pressure and hardship, both before and after Independence.

Concluding his address, Bhagwat invited people to visit a Sangh shakha to understand the organisation better. “If I explain for two hours how sweet sugar is, it won’t help. Taste it once, and you will understand,” he said.

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