Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat said here on Sunday that the RSS had long been working towards building a nationalistic consciousness among the people and it was only recently that its work was being understood.
He was addressing RSS workers on the concluding day of the organisation’s three-day conclave.
“Earlier people would ask, ‘what is RSS?’ ‘What is the point of wielding these wooden staffs?’ But today everyone understands us. Today no one asks these questions,” he said.
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Mr. Bhagwat said India’s tradition of unity in diversity was because of its spirit of “acceptance,” not tolerance, of differences as was the case in other cultures. The Aryan culture was the basis of the Indian tradition and Indian identity.
In order to create a society with the spirit of nationalism, it was important to take everybody along. He urged the RSS cadres to propagate the Sangh’s ideology in villages and ‘bastis’ [small localities] across the country.
Swami Sadanand Saraswati, who addressed the gathering before Mr. Bhagwat, spoke on conversions. “History has been distorted by those who debate on the issue. It was the Hindus who were being converted, either by ruse or taking advantage of their ignorance of religion. Anyone born in India is a Hindu. Hindus do not convert. It has always been the other way round. It is very important to unite on national issues,” he said.
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He stressed the need for a common civil code and strict cow protection laws.
By the RSS’s own account, over 15,000 workers participated in the conclave.
On Sunday, uniformed cadres displayed their skill in various drills.