Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday formally kicked off the centenary celebrations for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) by releasing a special postage stamp and coin to commemorate the milestone.
During the event, the Prime Minister, a former full-time RSS volunteer, delivered high praise for the organization, which he described as the ideological source of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He hailed the RSS’s 100-year journey as an “extraordinary example of sacrifice, selfless service, nation-building, and discipline.”
Focusing on ‘Nation-Building’ and Unity
Prime Minister Modi emphasized that the RSS has focused squarely on “nation-building” since its founding in 1925 by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in Nagpur.
- He noted that while the RSS works across different sections of society, its various activities are unified by the principle of “nation first,” ensuring there are “never contradictions among them.”
- Modi asserted that the RSS believes in ‘One India, Great India’ and lamented that “attempts were made to prevent it from joining the national mainstream” in the post-Independence era.
- Highlighting a core national value, the Prime Minister stated that unity in diversity has always been the soul of India, warning that if this principle is broken, the nation will weaken.
This address follows previous praise from the Prime Minister. In his Independence Day speech on August 15, Modi referred to the RSS as the “largest NGO in the world” and lauded its “service to the nation,” calling it a “proud and golden chapter.” That earlier statement was widely seen as an effort to dismiss any speculation of growing unease between the BJP and the RSS leadership.