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Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday, November 9, in response to questions on the organization’s registration status, said that “Hindu religion is also not registered.” He further said that RSS is a recognized organization.
“A lot of things are not registered, even Hinduism is not registered,” Bhagwat said while addressing the ‘100 Years of Sangh Yatra: New Horizons’ event in Bengaluru, according to news agency PTI.
“RSS has been banned thrice, which means the government has recognized us. If we were not there, who did they ban?” He commented.
He said, “Should we have registered the RSS with the British government since it was founded in 1925? After independence, the government did not make it mandatory to register it.”
The RSS chief’s comments come amid strained relations with the Congress-led Karnataka government, which recently restricted the RSS’s use of public places.
Bhagwat also addressed questions about the tax status of the RSS, saying that the Income Tax Department and courts have recognized it as a “body of persons” and exempted it from tax.
“RSS exists for the pride of the nation, not for power.”
Bhagwat further reiterated that the goal of the RSS is to organize Hindu society for the “pride of the nation”, and not in the quest for power. He said, “When an organized force in the form of Sangh (RSS) arises, it does not want power. It does not want prominence in the society. It just wants to serve the society, organize it for the glory of Mother India.”
“No non-Hindus in India”: shared ancestry and culture
On the question of religious identity, Bhagwat firmly stated that there are no “non-Hindus” (non-Hindus) in India. He said, “All people, including Muslims and Christians, are descendants of the same ancestors. The basic culture of the country is Hindu.” He said that being a Hindu means being responsible for India.
Reflecting on the century-old journey of the RSS, he said the organization faced two major restrictions and many challenges over the decades: “There were two restrictions. There was a third one too… Swayamsevaks were murdered… Every way was tried so that we could not grow. But the Swayamsevaks give their all to the Sangh and want nothing in return.”
Bhagwat further said that the Sangh’s focus now is to take its work to “every village and every section of society, all castes and classes… We have to remind everyone who we are as India. We have to reach out to every diversity.”