- RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said RSS supports policies, not any political party or individual
- RSS swayamsevaks would have backed Congress if it supported Ram Temple construction, he said
- RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's remarks come in the aftermath of verbal attacks by Congress leaders
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) supports policies, not an individual or a political party, its chief Mohan Bhagwat has said, adding that RSS workers would have even backed the Congress if it supported the demand for a Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
"We do not support any political party. We do not participate in election politics. Sangh works to unite society, and politics is divisive. We support policies. For example, we wanted Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, so our swayamsevaks voted for those who stood by its construction," he said, adding that the BJP ticked the box. "If Congress had supported it, our swayamsevaks would have voted for that party," Bhagwat said.
"We don't have a special affinity for one party. There is no Sangh party; no party is ours. And all parties are ours because they are Bharatiya parties. We support rashtraneeti (policies), not rajniti (politics). We have our views, and we want this country to go in a particular direction. Those who drive the country in that direction, we will support them," he said at an event in Bengaluru to mark the centenary of RSS.
Asked if Muslims are allowed to become part of RSS, Bhagwat replied, "No Brahmin is allowed in Sangh, no one from any caste is allowed, no Muslim is allowed, no Christian is allowed... People from different denominations, Muslims or Christians, can come to Sangh, keeping their separateness out. When you come to Shakha, you come as a son of Bharat Mata. Muslims and Christians come to shakha, but we don't take their count, we don't ask who they are."
Bhagwat also responded to a question raised by several Congress leaders: why is the RSS not a registered organisation? "This answer has been given umpteen times, but those who want to raise questions go on repeating them. Sangh started in 1925. Do you expect us to register with the British government? After Independence, the laws do not make registration compulsory. A legal status is also given to a 'body of individuals'. We are categorised as a body of individuals and we are a recognised organisation," he said.
"We were banned thrice, so the government has recognised. If we were not there, whom did they ban? And each time, courts dismissed the ban. So many times, questions are asked, statements are made in the Assembly and Parliament, both pro- and anti-RSS. Legally, factually, we are an organisation. We are not unconstitutional... so we need not register. Many things are not registered. Even Hindu Dharma is not registered," he said. Bhagwat added that the RSS "gets stronger whenever there is opposition".
The RSS chief's remarks come in the aftermath of verbal attacks by Congress leaders, including party chief Mallikarjun Kharge. Last month, Kharge said his personal opinion is that RSS should be banned. Several Congress leaders, including Kharge's son and Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge, have recently slammed the RSS.
Bhagwat was also asked about the Sangh's views on the national flag, as the Congress often alleges it has not accepted the Tricolour. He said the Sangh adopted its saffron flag in 1925, and the national flag was decided in 1933. "The flag committee had unanimously recommended a traditional bhagwa (saffron) flag. But then (Mahatma) Gandhiji intervened, and for some reason, he said three colours, saffron on the top. Since its creation, Sangh has always respected, paid respect to and protected the Tricolour," he said, adding that there is no question Bhagwa vis-a-vis Tricolour. "The Communist Party has a red flag. The Congress Party has a Tricolour with charkha. The Republican Party has a blue flag. So we have our Bhagwa and we respect our national flag."
