New Delhi: When Mohan Bhagwat, the chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), steps up to the podium on Vijayadashami, it’s never an ordinary speech. This annual address not only outlines the RSS’s core priorities, spanning politics to geopolitics, but also charts the course and calls to action for the upcoming year.
With the 2024 Lok Sabha elections just months away, this year’s speech was keenly watched. Speaking from his pulpit in Nagpur Tuesday, Bhagwat praised the RSS’s political offshoot, the Bharatiya Janata Party, for making India shine on the global stage through the G20 summit, and blamed a more troubling interlude, the Manipur ethnic conflict, on external forces.
Bhagwat also lambasted “all-devouring” and destructive “woke” forces and their purported “toolkits”. He cautioned people against attempts to garner votes by “inflaming emotions” and asked them to cast their ballot with a mind to the “unity, integrity, identity and development of the country”.
The RSS chief’s overarching theme echoed his stance just after the 2019 Lok Sabha election, where he applauded the Narendra Modi-led government for actions such as the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, while also warning against “Western constructs” and “vested interests” that could weaken India.
ThePrint revisits Bhagwat’s Vijayadashami speeches, which coincide with the RSS’s Foundation Day, over the nine years since the Modi government came to power.
2014: Focus on self-reliance
The 2014 Vijayadashami was a special occasion for the RSS as this was the year their ideological counterpart BJP had come to power with a thumping majority.
In his speech, Bhagwat praised the Modi government for its policy initiatives in its first six months. However, he also urged the government to ensure the momentum of these policies.
But the central theme of the speech was “self-reliance” and the need to adopt a development model tailored to India’s unique circumstances, drawing inspiration from visionary leaders like Swami Vivekananda, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi, and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
Bhagwat also stressed the importance of a “vigilant government, a strong defence policy, and a brave and efficient defence force”.
He called for a society characterised by patriotism, vigilance, and “high moral character”. Bhagwat highlighted cultural education as a priority, with a plea to the government to monitor and curb visual and print media content that degraded societal morality.
2015: Call for a population policy
In 2015, Bhagwat’s focus was the need for a new population policy— which has since become a recurring theme. He cited “imbalances” in the Census data, widely understood to be a reference to the Muslim population increasing by just under 1 percentage point between 2001 and 2011.
While talking about a national population policy, Bhagwat said that there was a need to “rise above vote bank politics to formulate a holistic approach”.
The RSS chief also commended the Modi government’s performance, proclaiming that it had become “evident to all that Bharat’s esteem in the world has gone up many-fold in the last couple of years”.
Additionally, he addressed external threats, particularly from China, Pakistan, and ISIS, and the rise of fundamentalism. Bhagwat emphasised the government’s responsibility to come out with a “comprehensive and a firm policy to root out all such problems once and for all”.
He also discussed the need to regulate the media while preserving its freedom.
2016: Uri, Pakistan, and a push for ‘firmness’
In 2016, Bhagwat’s speech came just weeks after the Uri terror attack and the subsequent surgical strike. He praised the Modi government for “instilling faith in the nation’s progress” and responding firmly to border disruptions.
Bhagwat acknowledged “untoward incidents” (referring to mob lynchings), but also stressed that “the sacred mission” of gau sevaks would continue and gather momentum.
Bhagwat also addressed the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits and underlined Kashmir’s status as an integral part of India.
He said the government will have to show firmness on this front. “The diplomatic moves made so far at the international level, and the strong resolve of the government and Parliament in the matter are welcome steps but to implement the policy with firmness is also important,” he stated. “The task is very difficult. But we have no other alternative but to accomplish it.”
2017: A streak of criticism
In 2017, Bhagwat’s speech took on a notably political tone. He urged Niti Ayog to “come out of the same old economic ‘isms’ and integrate ground realities”. He also stressed that small businesses should not feel the heat of economic reforms.
“While reforming and cleaning the economic systems, although some tremors and instability is expected, it should be kept in mind that these sectors should feel the minimum heat and ultimately they should get the maximum strength”, Bhagwat said in his speech.
This speech coincided with the aftermath of GST and demonetisation, when heated debates raged about their effectiveness.
Bhagwat also said that measures like loan waivers for farmers are signs of “sensitivity and goodwill” of the government, but these temporary measures are not a solution to deep-seated problems.
2018: Raising the pitch on Ram Temple
Bhagwat raised the pitch on the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya for the first time since 2014 in this year’s speech and suggested that the government should enact a law to facilitate its construction.
“Since its inception, the RSS has refrained from politics. But swayamsevaks across the country should fulfill their duty as citizens and stand in favour of putting their strength behind the overall national good. This is an essential task in the national interest,” he added.
He also pitched for a “strong nation” with a muscular security and foreign policy that would deter other countries from meddling with it.
“India should not give into to any kind of arm-twisting when it comes to trade negotiations or be compelled to give up its rights to self-sufficiency,” Bhagwat said.
2019: Standing up for Modi govt
A few months into the BJP’s second term in power, Bhagwat’s speech primarily served to defend the Modi government against prevailing criticisms.
Bhagwat challenged the use of the term “lynching,” asserting that it was a “Western construct” unsuitable for the Indian context and should not be used to tarnish the country’s image.
He went on to praise Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for their decisive move to repeal Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, while also suggesting that certain “vested interests” did not want the country to be strong and vibrant.
He said India’s borders were now safer than ever, but more focus was needed on coastal security. On concerns over the economic sector, he said that the slowing down of the world economy had left its impact everywhere.
“The government has taken many initiatives to tide over the situation in the last one-and-a-half months. This gives a definite indication of the government’s sensitivity towards people’s interests and its prompt and pro-active attitude. We will definitely come out of this cycle of so-called recession. The personalities leading our economy are competent enough,” he had said.
The Sangh chief also weighed in on the definition of a Hindu, in light of allegations regarding the government’s intentions to establish a Hindu Rashtra.
According to him, a “Hindu” was not just someone who belonged to the religion.
“In the view of the Sangh, the word Hindu is not confined to just those who call themselves Hindus. Those who belong to Bharat, those who are descendants of Bharatiya ancestors, those who are working for the ultimate glory of the nation and joining hands in enhancing peace by mingling with each other and accepting, respecting, and welcoming all diversities; all those Bharatiyas are Hindus,” he said.
2020: Eye on China
In his first address since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Bhagwat expressed support for the central government’s stance on three contentious farm laws (which were later repealed). He also addressed the India-China stand-off, the future of Indian agriculture, and the economy.
Bhagwat stressed the need for India to surpass China in terms of military readiness, given the latter’s expansionist ambitions.
“We don’t know how (China) will react. So, the way forward is to be alert and prepared. We should be more powerful than China in terms of military preparedness, economic conditions, international relations, and also relations with neighbouring countries,” he said.
Bhagwat suggested that the government should forge an alliance against China with immediate neighbours like Nepal and Sri Lanka. “India needs to grow bigger in power and scope than China,” he added.
On the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which triggered widespread protests, Bhagwat said that the law was not against any particular religious community, but “some people misled our Muslim brothers”.
2021: Advocating for NRC
In this speech, Bhagwat reiterated his advocacy for a new population policy, discussed the killings of minorities in Jammu and Kashmir, and emphasised the need for a National Register of Citizens (NRC). He also turned his attention to the regulation of OTT platforms and cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
Bhagwat said there are forces that want to divide Hindus and create disturbances in the country on the lines of caste and religion.
“Our journey from swadheenta (self-rule) to swatantrata (independence) is still far from complete… We started fighting among ourselves on the lines of caste, religion. The sorrow of Partition has still not gone, but we must not repeat the division on which the Partition happened. There is a conspiracy by internal and external forces to defame India,” he said.
Bhagwat additionally called for devotees to have operational rights over Hindu temples rather than state governments or trusts.
“Temple wealth should be utilised for worship of deities and welfare of Hindu communities,” he said.
He touched upon an alternative economic policy rooted in the concept of “swadeshi”, stating that the world’s gaze was upon India. He urged a focus on job creation, but with minimal energy consumption so as to protect the environment.
2022: Akhand Bharat
In his 2022 speech, Bhagwat highlighted that the RSS stands for a “Hindu Rashtra” and its mission is to organise Hindu society to protect “dharma, sanskriti, and samaj,” without opposing any specific group.
“Self-defence and defence of our own becomes the duty of everyone against those who spread hatred, commit injustice or atrocities, and engage in acts of hooliganism and enmity towards society. ‘Neither threatens nor gets threatened’ — this kind of Hindu society is the need of the present time,” he said.
He referred to the “poisonous experience” of Partition and stressed that, despite cultural and religious differences, India is one united society.
Bhagwat advocated for the idea of an Akhand Bharat (undivided India) and expressed his concerns about the lasting political divisions caused by Partition, which he believed could hinder India’s progress and unity.
He claimed that philosopher and freedom fighter Sri Aurobindo had wanted Partition to be “nullified” and also “fervently wished” for Akhand Bharat.
The RSS chief had claimed earlier that year that the idea of Akhand Bharat could be a reality in the next 10-15 years.
(Edited by Asavari Singh)
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