In his last Vijayadashami address before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat Tuesday called for programmes across the country on January 22 when the idol of Ram Lalla will be consecrated in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple in Ayodhya.
Speaking at the annual RSS event in Nagpur where the chief guest this time was singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan, Bhagwat said, ‘Our Lord Ram, whose picture also adorned the original copy of our Constitution, will enter his temple in Ayodhya on January 22. We won’t be able to attend the ceremony because of security reasons. We will go some other time. But in our temples everywhere, we can build an atmosphere of religiosity and oneness in the whole nation. We can do this by organising small programmes… creating an atmosphere of affection, responsibility and goodwill in society.’
Cautioning RSS volunteers that debates will now get polarised since elections are approaching, he said, ‘Keep a cool mind. Never get provoked. Voters have by now seen everyone. They will choose the available best. Everyone should cast their vote. Cast your vote keeping in mind the vital issues of unity, integrity, identity and development of the country.’
He cautioned against ‘some people both abroad and in the country’ who do not want India to move forward.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis at the RSS event in Nagpur on Tuesday. (PTI)
‘These destructive, all-devouring forces call themselves cultural Marxists or Woke, or the awakened ones. But they have forgotten Marx…. They are opposed to all orderliness and morality, beneficence, culture, dignity and restraint in the world. In order for a handful of people to have complete control over the entire human race, they reward, promote and spread anarchy and indiscretion. Their modus operandi involves taking control of the media and academia, and plunging education, culture, politics and social environment into confusion, chaos, and corruption. Such an environment enables the creation of a vicious cycle of fear, confusion and hatred,’ Bhagwat said.
He said if society gets divided, the work of these ‘asuri’ (demonic) forces becomes easy.
He also cautioned against ‘divisiveness’ of caste or community. ‘People do not get a house on rent in ‘another’ locality,’ he said, urging Swayamsevals to read Babasaheb Ambedkar’s last two speeches in the Constituent Assembly just like they read RSS founder K B Hedgewar.
He spoke on the issue of Manipur, suggesting that the government had done its best to bring about peace, and that ‘outside forces’ were meddling in the state.
He mentioned the government’s efforts to contain the situation there, including through visits of Union Ministers. ‘Why are the Meiteis and Kukis, who have lived together for so long, in so much conflict? … It is a border region. Who gains from this? Were there any outside forces? There is a strong government. The (Union) Home Minister visited the state. Yet, whenever things calm down, some tragedy happens… Who are these people? It is being fuelled,’ he said.
Bhagwat mentioned historical figures from all parts of India and their contribution, and emphasised the need to internalise the country’s ‘timeless values’, focus on efforts for unity and ‘avoid commentary’.
‘The basis of our unity over millennia is our all-inclusive culture, with no sense of the Other… Truth, compassion, diligent effort and purity are our culture… the culture of Akhand Bharat,’ he said.
This, he said, applies to all castes and communities in India including those ‘who may have come in the wake of invasions to this all-inclusive society’.
‘Our modes of worship may be different… But we have actually been one from time immemorial,’ he said.
‘Always mind your tongue. Once you are strong, speak the language of friendship with everyone… I am not pointing in any one direction. Build a strong society that cooperates with the government and administration… All sorts of provocative things are said, but one has to move forward with a calm mind.’
‘Victimhood isn’t a good idea,’ he said. ‘Everyone wants progress, there is competition… There are no victims. Politics may be competitive, but social unity has to be achieved by us outside its ambit.’
Bhagwat praised the government for successfully hosting the G20 Summit and said it had established India’s standing in the world.
‘Our reputation is rising. The world saw our harmony and positive energy. The African Union was inducted in the G20 nations. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and women’s empowerment were talked about. India’s distinctive place in the world is now a reality,’ he said.
‘Our nation is progressing in every field,’ he said, mentioning advances in digital technology, the mushrooming start-ups, India becoming the fifth largest economy in the world, and the performance at the recent Asian Games.
According to the RSS chief, the world is looking towards India to solve its problems, including ecological challenges in the Himalayas. He said the country could teach the West the way to unity in diversity, instead of a misplaced goal of ‘uniformity’.
