- Jacob Thomas joined the RSS as a full-time pracharak in Kerala on Vijayadashami
- Thomas said the RSS promotes cultural strength to build a stronger society and nation
- Thomas cited his Christian background while defending the RSS as not a religious group
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is a "unifying force", said former Kerala Police chief Jacob Thomas as he joined the right-wing outfit as a full-time 'pracharak'. "People in Kerala are not against the RSS," the former top cop asserted. The RSS aims to create individuals with cultural strength, Thomas said at an RSS event in Kochi on the occasion of Vijayadashami, dressed in the traditional RSS uniform.
"With more such individuals among us, the society will become stronger, and it will lead to the strengthening of the nation," the former Director General of Police said, adding that the RSS wants to build a strong nation through individuals.
Thomas further said that RSS has no caste, religion, language, or regional factionalism.
Responding to the criticism that the RSS is a religious organisation, he cited his own example. "I studied at St Mary's School and then at St George's College. I practised the Christian religion and is today presiding over an RSS function on its 100th anniversary," the former DGP told news agency ANI.
Thomas is a former Director of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) in Kerala. He had joined the BJP in 2021 and had recently announced that he would join the RSS.
Last year, former DGP R Sreelekha, the first woman IPS officer in the Kerala cadre, had joined the BJP. Besides, former DGP TP Senkumar has also aligned himself with RSS.
