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All Indians are Hindus and Hindus mean all Indians, says Bhagwat
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat declared that India is a "Hindu Rashtra" and all its citizens are Hindus, despite the country's diverse religious population.
NAGPUR : India is a “Hindu Rashtra” and all its citizens are Hindus, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Friday, pointing out that while most have “accepted this truth”, a section refuses to accept it due to “selfish motives”.
“Hindustan (India) is a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ and this is a fact. Ideologically, all Bharatiyas (Indians) are Hindus and Hindus mean all Bharatiyas. All those who are in Bharat (India) today are related to Hindu culture, Hindu ancestors and Hindu land, nothing other than these,” the Sangh chief said at the inauguration of “Madhukar Bhavan”, the new building of Shri Narkesari Prakashan Limited that publishes Marathi daily “Tarun Bharat”.
Bhagwat’s claim is one he has made before. In December 2022, he said all people of India are Hindus and that whoever considers India home is a Hindu, irrespective of religion.
Reacting to Bhagwat’s statement, senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party Anil Deshmukh said, “India is one of the most diverse nations in terms of religion and that is why ‘Sarva Dharma Samabhava’ concept of Indian secularism emerged in independent India under the impact of Gandhian thought.”
Former national chairperson of Congress SC cell Nitin Raut said, “How can he say so... when the Indian constitution has made it very clear it is the country of all religions. Such a statement is ridiculous when not only most of the world’s Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs live in India, but it is also the home to one of the world’s largest Muslim populations.”
On Friday, Bhagwat also appealed to media to participate in nation building. “Media should aim to build the society to make the country a world power,” he said.
Asserting that “our ideology” is much sought-after the world over, he called upon the media to report on everyone in a fair manner while keeping the country’s “ ideology intact”.
Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was also present at the event, asked the media to work towards increasing the “social consciousness of the society”.
“The influence of media is more in shaping the masses. Therefore, it is necessary to reach common people with proper ideas... Media must work to increase the social consciousness of society. It should aim to bring positivity in the thoughts of the citizens and it should aim to eliminate negativity. Thoughts should get priority over business,” he said.
Union minister Nitin Gadkari, who was the chief guest at the event, added: “Dailies need to be thought-driven. Inclusiveness should be the identity of a newspaper.”
With agency inputs
