New Delhi:

After his controversial statement on the BJP’s performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, RSS leader Indresh Kumar attempted to clarify his remarks by saying the polls show that those who opposed Lord Ram have been defeated while those who set the goal of restoring Lord Ram’s glory are in power.

Mr Kumar had sparked a row yesterday by stating that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was restricted to 240 seats, well below the majority mark, in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls due to its “arrogance”. Speaking at an event near Jaipur on Thursday, Mr Kumar said, “The party which did bhakti of Lord Ram and became arrogant was stopped at 240; however, it became the biggest party.”

“And those who had no faith in Ram were stopped at 234,” he said, referring to the INDIA bloc. “See the ‘Vidhan’ of Ram Rajya in democracy; those who did ‘Bhakti’ of Ram, but gradually turned arrogant, emerged as the biggest party; however, the vote and the power that they should have been given was stopped by God due to arrogance.”

Mr Kumar’s remarks sparked a row. The RSS leader sought to mitigate the damage by clarifying, “The mood of the country is very clear at present. Those who opposed Lord Ram are not in power; those who set the goal to respect Lord Ram are in power and the government has been formed for the third time under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

Mr Kumar’s remarks follow RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s statement a few days ago. Mr Bhagwat had said that a true ‘sevak’ should serve people without arrogance and maintain dignity.

The RSS yesterday sought to quell the suggestions of a rift with the BJP and that Mohan Bhagwat’s recent critical references related to the Lok Sabha polls were aimed at the ruling party, insisting that such claims are just speculation meant to create confusion.

“There is no rift between the RSS and the BJP,” RSS sources said, amid assertions by a section of people, including opposition leaders, that Mr Bhagwat’s remarks, including “true sevak is never arrogant,” were a message to the BJP leadership following its below-par performance in the polls.

“There was not much difference in his (Mr Bhagwat’s) speech from what he had given after the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Any address is bound to make a reference to an event as important as national elections. But it was misinterpreted and taken out of context to create confusion. His ‘arrogance’ remark was never directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi or any BJP leader,” the sources said.

In his speech, Mr Bhagwat had on Monday expressed concern over peace eluding Manipur even after one year of conflict, criticised the common discourse during polls, and called for moving on instead of unnecessary discussion on the what and how of the elections after they were over and results were out.

Opposition leaders had seized on his remarks to take a swipe at the BJP and PM Modi. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh had said, “If not the ‘one-third’ Prime Minister’s conscience or the repeated demands of the people of Manipur, perhaps Mr Bhagwat can prevail upon the former RSS office-bearer to go to Manipur.”

Such claims by the opposition leaders are nothing but politics meant to spread confusion, the RSS sources said.

 

Defence Minister Rajnath Singhsaid talks between India and China are going smoothly and India will never bow down.
| Photo Credit: X/@BJP4Gujarat

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CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

The ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] has said that Kerala would reject the National Council for Educational Research and Training’s (NCERT) proposal to supplant India with Bharat in the social sciences curriculum for schools.

CPI(M) State Secretary M. V. Govindan told reporters in New Delhi that schools following the State syllabus would resist the NCERT’s move to inject “science, fact and history-denying Sangh Parivar rendition of India’s past into younger generations.

“Kerala school textbooks will cite the country’s name as India as articulated in Article I of the Constitution. They will dwell on subjects abandoned by the Sangh Parivar-led Central government, including Darwin’s theory of evolution, the Mughal empire, and the life, times and assassination of Mahatma Gandhi”, Mr. Govindan said.

Mr. Govindan said the formation of the anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) was the immediate provocation for the BJP’s move to supplant India with Bharat in school textbooks, official communication and public fora.

He said the Centre had suspiciously flip-flopped on its recent commitment to the Supreme Court that no circumstance warranted changing India’s official name to Bharat.

The CPI(M) and Congress in Kerala also found themselves on the same side of the India-Bharat debate.

On Wednesday, Congress Working Committee (CWC) member K.C. Venugopal objected to rejecting India for Bharat in school textbooks.

“For Congress, both names carry equal weight. However, one should not be at the cost of the other. The BJP is attempting to distort India’s history to suit its political ends”, he said.

The CPI(M) has also found a common cause with the Congress and the DMK governments in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Both administrations have objected to the NCERT proposal. (Education is a subject in the concurrent list, allowing States to accept or reject NCERT proposals.)

C. I. Isaac, a retired history teacher and Padma Shri awardee who heads the NCERT panel for curriculum change, told a news channel in Dubai that it had not rejected the name India.

“Instead, the panel has proposed to make it statutory to teach Bharath in school curriculum. It is to instil self-respect in students and not to compel them to stop using the term India when referring to the country. The panel has also proposed displaying a framed copy of the constitution preamble in classrooms prominently”, Mr. Isaac said.

Meanwhile, the BJP in Kerala has encouraged the use of Bharat because it was “an emphatic rejection of the country’s colonial past”. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had recently urged citizens to use Bharat instead of India.

Nagpur (Maharashtra):

The annual ‘Vijayadashmi Utsav’ event of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) started with workers’ ‘Path Sanchalan’ (route march) at Maharashtra’s Nagpur on Tuesday.

The ceremonial Dussehra event is graced by singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan as the Chief Guest of the function.

#WATCH | RSS holds annual Vijaydashmi Utsav in Nagpur, Maharashtra. pic.twitter.com/oDci1JUSnI

— ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2023

Speaking on occasion, Shankar Mahadevan extended his greetings to everyone on the occasion of Vijayadashmi and thanked the RSS chief for inviting him as the Chief Guest of the event.

“I want to extend my greetings to everyone on the occasion of Vijayadashami. I am very honoured & privileged that I have been welcomed as a chief guest at this function. I want to thank the RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and the entire Swayamsevak Sangh family. I am very excited to attend this program,” Shankar Mahadevan said while speaking to ANI at the event.

On the occasion, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat paid tribute to the founder of the organisation KB Hedgewar.

Shankar Mahadevan was also seen offering floral tributes at the statue of KB Hedgewar.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat also performed ‘Shastra Pooja’ on the occasion of ‘Vijayadashami Utsav’.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis were also present at the event.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Nagpur:

Hinduism respects all sects and India has never seen strifes on issues like the one that has led to the ongoing Hamas-Israel war, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat has said.

He was speaking at a programme organised at a school here on Saturday to mark 350 years of the coronation of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

“In this country, there is a religion, culture that respects all sects and faiths. That religion in Hinduism. This is a country of Hindus. That does not mean we reject all other (religions). Once you say Hindu, it is not needed to be told that Muslims too were protected. Only Hindus do this. Only India does this. Others have not done this,” Bhagwat said.

“Everywhere else, strifes are underway. You must have heard of the war in Ukraine, Hamas-Israel war. In our country, there were never wars on such issues. The invasion during Shivaji Maharaj’s time was of that kind. But we never fought of battles on this issue with anybody. That is why we are Hindus,” the RSS chief told the audience.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Wednesday said ‘Bharat’ has been a secular nation for 5,000 years and called upon people to remain united and present the best example of human behaviour before the world.

Addressing an event organised to launch a book, ‘Prithvi Sookta – An Ode To Mother Earth’, authored by senior RSS functionary Ranga Hari, Mr Bhagwat appealed to people to have devotion, love and dedication for their motherland, saying, “We consider motherland as an essential component of our national unity.” “Our 5,000-year-old culture is secular… In all ‘tatva gyan’ (knowledge of elements), this is the conclusion. The whole world is one family, this is our feeling. This is not a theory… know it, realise and then behave accordingly,” the RSS chief said.

“There is so much diversity in the country. Don’t fight with each other. Make your country capable of teaching the world that we are one,” he said, adding this is the sole purpose of India’s existence.

Mr Bhagwat said seers created ‘Bharat’ for the welfare of the world. They created a society which passed on their knowledge to the last person in the country, he said.

“They were not ‘sanyasis’ only. They lived the lives of wanderers with their families. All these ‘ghumantoos’ (nomads) are still there whom the British had declared as criminal tribes… They are often seen showcasing their culture in the society, some share ayurvedic knowledge,” he said.

“Our people went across the world taking the knowledge, from Mexico to Siberia,” he added.

Hence, it is no surprise that India turned the G20, which is mainly a forum to deliberate on economic issues, into one that thinks about humanity, Mr Bhagwat said, adding, “By giving it the feeling of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, we made it a forum that thinks about humans.” Addressing the event, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan said unity is India’s biggest ideal.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday described an educational exercise of finding out whether KG students knew about their private parts as an attack by the leftist ecosystem. He said leftists are not just opponents of Hindus or Bharat, but the entire world.

He was speaking at the launch of a Marathi book ‘Jagala Pokharnari Davi Walvi’ (World-Weakening Leftist Termites) in Pune.

“I visited a school in Gujarat where a seer showed me an instruction in a kindergarten school. It said the class teachers have been asked to find out whether KG-2 pupils knew the names of their private parts. The attack (of leftist ecosystem) has come this far and it is not possible without the help of the people.” The RSS chief said such attacks are being made on all the auspicious things in “our” culture.

“The first order after the new government was formed in the US (after Donald Trump) was related to school, where teachers were asked not to talk to pupils about their gender. Pupils should be able to decide on their own. If a boy says that he is now a girl, then the boy should be allowed to use the toilet meant for girls,” Bhagwat said.

“Why wouldn’t their culture stink,” he wondered.

During his speech, Bhagwat also said that leftist people have arrogance and “excessive pride in their evil tendency”. “They do not have people’s support and may have some money power but their ecosystem is growing. We (RSS) are lagging behind there.” The leftist people have started “Cultural Marxism” to destroy auspicious things in the world and the onus of freeing the world from this crisis is going to be on Bharat, Bhagwat said.

“The leftist people in Western countries took a stand against auspicious things and started destruction. Society is suffering from their stand in the name of deliberation. Human behaviour is inclining towards beastly tendencies and this crisis is now hovering over India as well,” he said.

“It has reached our families and Indian society needs to be alert,” the RSS chief said.

The RSS chief said the leftists wanted to pollute American culture and they succeeded in it. “They are not just opponents of Hindus or Bharat, but the entire world. They think they are powerful, they are gods. They call themselves scientists, but they are not,” he said.

He said there is a need to “shred the confusion they (leftists) have created about our own world”. “This book is a textbook for such work,” Bhagwat said, adding that the translation of the book should be done in Hindi and English.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on June 20 laid importance on organic- and ancient methods of farming and said it would be wrong to reject such local knowledge as unscientific without examining them.

He was speaking at the annual ‘Convocation-cum-Scientific Convention’ jointly organised by National Academy of Veterinary Sciences (India), New Delhi and Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University, Nagpur.

Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala, who was the guest of honour, was bestowed honorary fellowship along with Mr. Bhagwat and State Minister Sunil Kedar at the event.

India’s farming and animal husbandry methods are the oldest, Mr. Bhagwat said, adding that modern science has side effects but our ancient knowledge and methods do not have side effects. “Focus must be on flexibility in research and use of local knowledge. It is wrong to reject local knowledge by terming it unscientific. You can reject it after examining it, you are free to reject it if it is not right,” he said at the event.

“Secondly, mechanised farming would not last long. Even today, 65% farmers cultivate on small land holdings and mechanised farming is not very beneficial for them. Because of fertilizers etc, he [farmer] falls into debt and then commits suicide. He should be taught sustainable agriculture which he can understand,” the RSS chief said.

He stressed on “Bharat centric” method of farming, which can increase our GDP, adding that the country was the number one economy in the world till 1700 AD. “We had agrarian economy that time and industry and commerce were also related to agriculture. We will need to have Bharat centric approach to achieve this [increasing GDP],” he said.

The RSS chief said there was need for public partnerships for sustainability as the government was not rich enough to provide funds for all departments. He also spoke on the “language block” being faced by farmers, stating that most information on animal husbandry was in English.

“The new education policy has included the use of local language in technical subjects. We need to spread this knowledge in local languages,” Mr. Bhagwat said.