RSS most democratic organisation in the country, says Mohan Bhagwat

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is the most democratic organisation in the country and its aim is to develop society and organise the Hindus, said RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Monday.

He said the only way you can learn about the RSS is to work with it and see how it functions in preparing individuals who then work in their respective fields.

Bhagwat was speaking at the first in a series of three lectures organised by the RSS in New Delhi as part of its massive outreach effort to clear its stance and vision for the country. 

During his an hour-long lecture, Bhagwat talked about the history of the Sangh and the views that shaped it during the initial days. He detailed the life history and philosophical evolution of Sangh founder K.B. Hedgewar.

Hedgewar set up the body, and everything else came up later during discussions, including the setting up of shakha system and even the name RSS, said Bhagwat.

He also talked about the contribution of Hedgewar in nation building and independence struggle. It was during his interactions with social and political leaders that Hedgewar realised that there was a need to train the society for nation building, he said.

There are many ways to develop a nation, but the most effective is to change the society and for that the person has to be changed, Bhagwat said.

"If you want to see a democratic organisation, come to the Sangh. Views come from shakhas and later a common opinion is formed," Bhagwat told a packed audience at Vigyan Bhavan.

Over a thousand people attended the three-day outreach programme, Bhavishya Ka Bharat — An RSS Perspective. 

Among the notable persons spotted at the event were Union ministers who did not come with Sangh background like Hardeep Piri, K.J. Alphons, R.K. Singh and Arjun Meghwal. MPs like Jay Panda, Amar Singh other nominated Rajya Sabha MPs, and senior BJP leaders were also present. Also spotted were Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddique, musician Anu Malik, Hansraj Hans, TV actors, foreign diplomats, newspaper columnists, retired Army officers and bureaucrats.

Oppositions leaders, however, gave the event a miss.

Delhi RSS in-charge Bajrang Lal Gupta was at pains to explain that not much should be read into the timing of the event. He said it was due to the time allotted to the Delhi unit of the Sangh.

The event coincided with the 68th birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is one of the most successful disciples of the Sangh.

Trying to clear the air over the working of the Sangh, Bhagwat said, "We don't exercise remote control over people or frontal organisations. They are free to do their own things but there is effort to see there is no straying from path."

Talking about the Samanvay Baithak (coordination meetings) which have been taking place between the government and the Sangh, the RSS chief said it was not to influence policy but to convey the feedback of the swayamsevaks or the problems they face in their work. 

"RSS works for building a person. That's all it does. It aims to create good swayamsevaks in each village and city. This is what is RSS all about,” Bhagwat said.

India was a land of diversity, be it language, eating habit or religion. There is no homogeneity. We should aim to respect this diversity, strengthen it and celebrate it.

Bhagwat said problem starts when people forget about their values. “How did Muslims invaders or the Brtish could defeat us. It's because we forgot our values.”

The lecture series have generated enough interest in the political circles as the united opposition has made BJP and RSS their prime target of attack. Congress chief Rahul Gandhi during his England tour last month had likened RSS with Muslim Brotherhood calling both of them conservative. RSS had responded to this criticism saying Rahul Gandhi is ill-informed.

From a political standpoint, the outreach also assumes significance as both RSS and BJP want to avoid any controversy or narrative building up against the Hindutva body ahead of the 2019 elections.

Equally significant is the fact that it's perhaps for the first time a lectures series has been organised by the 93-year-old body to clear its stance on key issues. It has always shied away from the public glare which contributed to its image of being a closed organisation. After BJP assumed power in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government made an attempt to correct this image about RSS, assertively projected their links to the organisation and inculcated their views in the policy framework. This led to RSS' strength growing manifold, adding several hundred new shakhas across the country.