Bengaluru: Calling upon the government to “project” vegetarianism in its policies, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat Sunday suggested to “treat” non-vegetarianism within Hindu society “if it is possible”.
Addressing a packed auditorium at PES University here as part of a series of lectures to celebrate the organisation’s 100 years, the sarsanghachalak said, “Vegetarianism must be projected in the government policies also. But then we have to undergo a tremendous change because in our society, in Hindu society, 72 percent of people eat meat. Not daily.
“And in the month of Shravan, they totally avoid meat. On Guruvara (Thursday) they don’t eat meat. Generally on Bhuduvaar (Wednesday) and Ravivaar (Sunday) they eat meat. But they eat meat. So first we have to treat this if it is possible.”
He was responding to a question from the audience on why the Indian government allows beef exports. Bhagwat said the government had assured him that it is Buffalo meat, and that killing cows, eating or exporting ‘gau maas’ (cow meat) is illegal in India.
He added that in West Bengal, Assam and Odisha, fish is considered a “fruit of the water” and not a non-vegetarian meal. He said the habit of eating fish started when there was no production of lentils like channa, urad and others. “There was no other source of protein, so traditionally they developed the habit of eating fish. Now, the situation has changed, but the habit does not go,” he said.
Addressing a question on ‘love jihad’, Mohan Bhagwat said the focus should be on strengthening sanskaras at home. “Do not put every Muslim in one bracket. Many Muslims disapprove of such acts,” he said, while adding that the Muslim community too must educate its own members. “We neither want to convert anyone nor divide any community, but we must keep our house strong,” he said.
Speaking on religious conversions and vote-bank politics, he said the division among Hindus by caste makes them vulnerable. “We must reform and educate ourselves so politics cannot divide us. Our unity has ensured our survival as a civilisation.”
“What exists today is not caste system but caste confusion,” he said, adding that the influence of caste must be overcome through mutual love and respect. “Caste-based politics prevents unity,” he added. The sarsanghachalak also said that caste-based reservation should continue until full equality is achieved.
According to the RSS, Bhagwat addressed 470 questions from 284 invitees. He also responded to queries about why the Sangh has not been registered as an organisation, its sources of funding, and where it stood on issues such as corruption and instilling ‘Bharatiya values’ into young people. The event, said the RSS, was attended by 1,200 people.
The RSS is celebrating its centenary year, as part of which it is holding a lecture series “100 years of Sangh Journey: New Horizons” across the country, including New Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Kolkata.
Also Read: RSS at 100 — ‘No permanent enemies’, flexible ideology, Bollywood embrace
‘RSS: a body of individuals’
Asked why the Sangh was not registered as an organisation, and if it was by chance, choice or to avoid legal issues, Mohan Bhagwat said many organisations are not formally registered.
“Many things are not registered. Even Hindu dharma (religion) is not registered,” he said, trying to dispel claims that the RSS was not a registered entity. He further said that the RSS was a “body of individuals”, as noted by the Income Tax department and courts across the country. He also said these were the reasons the RSS is exempt from paying taxes.
“You know, the Sangh started in 1925, was established in 1925. So, do you expect us to register with the British government against whom our sarsanghachalak was fighting?” he remarked, adding that post-Independence, the law does not make registration compulsory.
“Legal status is also given to a body of individuals,” he submitted.
In Karnataka, the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government has relentlessly attacked the RSS, asking if it’s registered and what is the source of its funding. This has fuelled friction with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which considers the Sangh its ideological parent.
Priyank Kharge, Karnataka’s IT minister and a vociferous critic of the Sangh, wrote to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah 12 October, seeking a ban on all RSS-linked activities in government institutions and public spaces. This was backed by a government order to this effect a few days later, overshadowing the RSS’s centenary year celebrations in the state.
Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi have repeatedly attacked the RSS, accusing it of fuelling communal discord.
Bhagwat said Sunday that the Sangh was “banned thrice” in the past, which, he said, was an acknowledgment of its existence. “If we didn’t exist, whom would they have banned?”
On Sunday too, Priyank Kharge posed questions on Bhagwat’s remarks that the RSS funding comes through donations made by its volunteers. He asked who these volunteers were, how they were identified, and what were the quantum of their donations.
“Through what mechanisms or channels are these contributions received? If the RSS operates transparently, why are donations not made directly to the organisation under its own registered identity? How does the RSS sustain its financial and organisational structure without being a registered entity?” Kharge posed on X.
Mr. Bhagwat has stated that the RSS functions through donations made by its volunteers.
However, several legitimate questions arise regarding this claim:
•Who are these volunteers and how are they identified?
•What is the scale and nature of the donations made?
•Through…
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) November 9, 2025
Mohan Bhagwat: ‘Only Hindus allowed into RSS’
The Sangh has often been questioned on its alleged caste hierarchy, acrimony towards minorities, and their religious beliefs. On one particular question on caste, Bhagwat said no “Brahmin, Muslim, Christian or others are allowed into the RSS”.
“Only Hindus are allowed. So people with different denominations, Muslims, Christians, any denomination, can come to the Sangh, but keep your separateness out. Your speciality is welcome. But when you come inside the shakha, you come as a son of Bharat Mata, a member of this Hindu society,” he said. The RSS ecosystem has maintained that all Muslims and Christians are descendants of the same ancestors.
“They probably don’t know it, or they are made to forget it,” Bhagwat reiterated.
He also said that “love jihad”—a theory floated by Right-wing groups about a widespread conspiracy by Muslim men to lure Hindu women into relationships to convert them—was due to families’ failure to instill ‘sanskar’ and ‘maryada’ (values and moral discipline).
He said if a child does get lured into such traps, the fault lies with her family. He also called ‘wokeism’ a well-thought-out scheme “by the failed Left” to brainwash young minds.
He further said it is very important for Hindus to identify as one to protect the nation. “Being Hindu means being responsible for Bharat. That is why organisation of Hindu society and that is why Bharat is a Hindu nation.”
The RSS chief added, “We are already a Hindu Rashtra. Even those following other ideologies practice Hindu festivals and rituals. Motherland and Bharat Mata are Sanatan constructs, not post-colonial ideas.”
“Akhand Bharat can be realised the very instant every Hindu realises this truth.”
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
Also Read: Kharge says RSS should be banned, calls BJP & its ideological parent ‘root of law & order problems’