Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the ideological mentor of the BJP, is celebrating its centenary tomorrow. Formed on August 27, 1925 by Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in India to unite the Hindu community and promote Hindu culture, it is the apex of an umbrella body of right-wing organisations across the country focussing on promoting its ideology and social work.
Hedgewar was inspired by VD Savarkar and the organisation first opened its doors in Nagpur. Since then, the Maharashtra city has been home to the organisation that has around 6 million members today and has offices -- traditionally called Shakhas -- in every state in the country.
The bulk of its members including Congressmen disaffected by the Gandhian ideology of Hindu-Muslim unity, the organisation, the RSS in its initial years tried to stay on the right side of the British government and so stayed neutral to the Independence movement.
Hedgewar's intent, though, was eventual overthrow of British rule by a rejuvenated Hindu nation.
With the recruitment of the young men who were trained in combat and uniformed like the British Imperial police, the RSS had acquired the aspect of a quasi-military organisation.
In its chequered history, the RSS was banned four times -- for four days in 1947, the next year after group member Nathuram Godse assassinated Mahatma Gandhi, during the 1975 Emergency and after the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992.
The BJP and RSS
In 1951, Syama Prasad Mookerjee co-founded Jan Sangh with the help of then RSS Sarsanghachalak Shri Guruji. In the first general election, the Jana Sangh got 3.06 per cent votes and three MPs, including Dr Mookerjee, were elected. Jana Sangh got the status of a national party.
After many ups and downs, the Bharatiya Janata Party or the BJP was formed on April 6, 1980.
The key leaders of the BJP -- including the late former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his Deputy LK Advani, former minister Murli Manohar Joshi -- were part of the RSS.
Even today, key leaders, Chief Ministers and Union ministers of the BJP have been linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
The list, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, includes Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, transport minister Nitin Gadkari, former President Ram Nath Kovind, former vice-president Venkaiah Naidu, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, former Chief Ministers Manihar Parrikar, Keshubhai Patel, Shankarsinh Vaghela, Manohar Khattar, BS Yediyurappa and others.
Centenary Celebrations
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat launched the centenary events with a three-day lecture series at Delhi's Vigyan Bhawan. Starting on August 26, the series will end on August 28, featuring evening discussions each day. Mr Bhagwat will speak on the theme "100 Years of RSS Journey: New Horizons" and in it, would highlight how Swayamsevaks view themselves and address misconceptions about the organisation.
For its big celebration - which would begin with the traditional Vijaya Dashami speech by Mr Bhagwat -- the organisation is hosting a series of programs across the country. The lectures would focus on presenting a comprehensive picture of the organisation to society.
Diplomats from several countries have been invited to the event, reported news agency Press Trust of India, quoting un-named sources. The discussions will bring together around 2000 people from diverse fields, including art, sports, judiciary, bureaucracy, diplomats, thought leaders, media, startups, and influencers besides political leaders.
The organisation has also reached out to minority communities -- Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, and Buddhists - as well as the Opposition parties including the Congress.
