‘Hindu Rashtra Is Not About Power, But Justice And Equality’: Mohan Bhagwat At RSS Centenary

On how the notion of a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ is questioned in a country whose Constitution has the word “secular”, the RSS chief said ‘nation’ as such is a “western concept because it is tied to the state”.

Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, he said ‘Rashtra’ has always existed and, in India, it is not bound to states. “…That is why we are connected to it – not because there was a king but because there was a ‘Rashtra’,” he said. “A ‘Hindu Rashtra’ is not about power or authority. In this ‘Rashtra’, everyone is treated with justice and equality. ‘Rashtra’ does not mean that we are leaving someone out, it is always inclusive.”

Explaining the origin of ‘Hindu Rashtra’, he said for 40,000 years, the DNA of the people of Bharat — those living in ‘Akhand Bharat’ — is the same. “Our culture and worldview are the same — of living with coordination,” he added.

‘TASK IS TO UNITE THOSE WHO IDENTIFY AS HINDU’

Bhagwat further said there are four kinds of Hindus – those who proudly declare it, those who feel it but do not say it, those who know but call themselves Indian, and those unaware of their identity.

“Our task is to unite all who identify as Hindu because true diversity is rooted in unity. They will unite others who forgot that they are Hindu,” he said.

He quoted from Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Swadeshi Samaj’ speech and said society cannot awaken through politics alone. It needs leadership and leaders respected in society, who are truly committed and can inspire change, he said.