The head of India’s influential Hindu nationalist organisation has stirred controversy after suggesting that Muslims and Christians could join the group — provided they “set aside their separateness.”
Mohan Bhagwat, chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which is seen as the ideological parent of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), made the remarks on Nov. 9 at a public function in Bengaluru, southern India.
“No Brahmin [high caste Hindu] is allowed in the Sangh. No Muslim is allowed, no Christian is allowed.… Only Hindus are allowed. But people from any denomination — Muslims, Christians — can come to the Sangh if they keep their separateness out,” Bhagwat said.
“Your speciality is welcome, but when you come inside the shakha, you come as a son of Bharat Mata, a member of this Hindu society.”
The comments drew criticism from opposition politicians and minority leaders, who called them contradictory and insincere.
“Bhagwat’s invitation to non-Hindus is not genuine. It is half-hearted and amounts to lip service,” said Sanjay Das, a Congress Party leader from Meghalaya, a Christian-majority state.
Others questioned the timing of the remarks, which coincided with the anniversary of an Indian Supreme Court verdict in 2019 clearing the way for the construction of a Hindu temple on a disputed site in Ayodhya.
“Making such a statement on Nov 9 adds insult to injury,” said Delhi-based trader Mohammed Naushad.
Political context and internal strains
Founded in 1925, the RSS describes itself as the world’s largest volunteer organisation promoting Hindu culture and nationalism. Hindu groups affiliated with the RSS were accused of leading the campaign that resulted in the demolition of a 16th-century mosque in Ayodhya in 1992, which they claimed had been built over a temple marking the birthplace of the Hindu god Ram.
Bhagwat’s comments come amid reports of growing friction between the RSS leadership and the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Party insiders say the RSS feels sidelined by Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, particularly after delays in electing a new BJP president — reportedly due to disagreements over Bhagwat’s preferred candidate.
While Modi has occasionally praised Bhagwat — including in a September tribute on the RSS chief’s 75th birthday — analysts say relations remain uneasy. The RSS leadership is believed to want a greater consultative role in BJP affairs, while Modi prefers that the organisation focus on social and cultural outreach.
Political observers see Bhagwat’s remarks on inclusion and unity as part of a broader attempt to expand the RSS’s influence beyond the BJP, including through emerging regional parties.
In the ongoing Bihar state elections, for instance, political strategist-turned-activist Prashant Kishor’s new party is widely believed to have tacit RSS backing — a move that could undercut the BJP’s vote base.
Expanding beyond the BJP
Analysts say the RSS appears to be reassessing its political engagement. “The ‘one nation, one party’ idea has its limits,” said an RSS insider. “The concentration of power in one or two hands was never the goal.”
The organisation has previously experimented with regional outreach, from Odisha — where it carefully aligned itself with the Jagannath temple tradition — to Delhi, where it was seen as quietly supporting the rise of the Aam Aadmi Party during the 2011 anti-corruption movement.
Now, according to political analyst Tushar Bhadra, “The RSS is testing new models of influence — backing provincial movements and engaging minority communities indirectly, particularly in areas where the BJP’s growth has plateaued.”
Sources say the organisation is paying particular attention to states with complex social and religious demographics, such as Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and the Christian-majority northeastern states of Assam, Manipur, Tripura, and Nagaland.
Despite Bhagwat’s outreach rhetoric, his comments reaffirm the RSS’s longstanding view that India’s national identity is rooted in Hindu culture — a position that continues to polarize opinion in the world’s largest democracy.
The article was published in the ucanews
