Despite Bhagwat’s assurances of inclusion, historical evidence and scholarly analysis reveal RSS’s founding principles reflect deep hostility towards Muslims and Christians
NEW DELHI – Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat’s claim that Muslims are welcome in the organisation has sparked an intensive debate, with many pointing out contradictions between his words and the historical stance of the saffron brigade. Experts and historical evidence suggest that the RSS’s founding principles and actions reflect a deep-seated hostility towards Muslims and Christians, aiming to establish a Hindu Rashtra and undermine India’s secular framework.
Bhagwat’s statement in Bengaluru on Sunday is seen by many as an attempt to rebrand the RSS’s image, but critics argue that it doesn’t align with the organisation’s ideology. The RSS has been accused of promoting forced assimilation and exclusion, contradicting Bhagwat’s claims of inclusivity.
The RSS chief said: “Those who consider this land as their motherland can join the organisation,” framing this as part of the RSS’s outreach initiative.
He elaborated, “No Brahmin, Shiv, Muslim or Christian has been kept out of the RSS. Only Hindus can join it, and by Hindu we mean all those who consider this land as their motherland. People of different sects can come to the organisation, just keep their separate identity separate.”
On minority inclusion, Bhagwat said, “Your individuality is welcome, but when you come to the branch, you come as a son of Bharat Mata, a member of this Hindu society. Muslims and Christians also join the branch as members of different castes of Hindu society. We do not count them or ask about their background. We are all sons of Bharat Mata, and the RSS sees everyone in the same light.”
Regarding outreach programmes and education, Bhagwat claimed, “Earlier, certain communities and groups like the church were considered separate or small. Now we have to make special efforts to reach out to them. But outreach does not mean that we impose something on them or do something. We do not open schools for any particular community or caste. RSS focuses only on its core work, which is human development. There are Shishu Mandirs run by Vidya Bharati in Muslim areas as well.”
However, scholars and critics sharply dispute these claims. Dr Ayesha Siddiqui, a social researcher, said, “The RSS has always been rooted in Hindu nationalist ideology. Claiming Muslims are welcome is a PR strategy, not genuine inclusion.”
She added, “Mohan Bhagwat’s statement that Muslims can join ‘as members of Hindu society’ shows that acceptance comes only if Muslims adopt the organisation’s Hindu ideology. True Muslim identity and religious freedom are compromised under this framework.”
To fully understand the organisation, it is necessary to examine its history. The RSS was founded in 1925 in Nagpur by Dr K B Hedgewar with the goal of unifying Hindu society into a singular cultural and religious nation. Far from participating in India’s freedom struggle, prominent leaders, including Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, reportedly apologised to the British authorities.
The organisation’s long-standing mission has been to spread discord in society under the guise of religion and to pursue the vision of a “Hindu Rashtra.” Scholars point out that RSS’s foundational ideology is deeply anti-pluralist. Hedgewar and later M S Golwalkar based nationhood on cultural uniformity and Hindu civilizational supremacy.
Golwalkar, in his 1939 book We, or Our Nationhood Defined, wrote: “India is a Hindu Rashtra and the status of other religious groups is that of guests.” He further instructed, “The foreign races in Hindustan must adopt Hindu culture and language, must learn to respect Hindu religion. Nothing else should enter their minds except the greatness of the Hindu nation. Or they should remain subordinate to the Hindu nation in the country, not demanding anything. They should not be entitled to any special treatment, let alone any privileges. There should be no other way for them.”
Golwalkar even cited Nazi Germany as a model for maintaining “racial purity,” stating, “Germany shocked the world by wiping out the Semitic race, the Jews, for the sake of maintaining racial purity. This act is a manifestation of racial pride. Germany has also proved that it is impossible for different races and cultures to merge and become one nation. This is a lesson for us to remember and benefit from.”
Critics argue that the organisation’s historical ideology translates into contemporary strategies aimed at undermining India’s secular and pluralistic framework. Prof Imran Khan, an expert in minority studies, noted, “Despite claims of voluntary participation, RSS programmes in practice promote Hinduisation of Muslim and Christian participants. Their outreach programmes and educational initiatives are designed to symbolically include minorities while enforcing ideological conformity.”
Dr Siddiqui emphasised, “RSS-affiliated schools like Vidya Bharati operate on a Hindu curriculum, restricting secular and religious learning for Muslim students. Inclusion is conditional, not genuine.”
Historically, RSS has been implicated in communal violence, including the riots following the shameful demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992, and its leaders have often supported rhetoric hostile to minorities. “The RSS’s politics have always targeted minorities in the name of Hindutva,” Dr Siddiqui said. “Statements about outreach are often symbolic while the underlying objective remains the establishment of a Hindu Rashtra.”
While Bhagwat asserts that Muslims and Christians are welcome, experts argue that inclusion under RSS is conditional, symbolic, and ideologically constrained. “Muslims may be allowed to join, but only under strict ideological conditions that require them to identify as sons of Bharat Mata,” Prof Khan explained. “This is not real inclusion.”
“India is a diverse country with Muslims and Christians forming integral parts of its society. Policies like these undermine equality and religious freedom,” Dr Siddiqui added.
The debate over RSS’s outreach and minority policies continues to evoke strong reactions, highlighting the organisation’s longstanding history of ideological exclusion, attempts to assimilate minorities, and efforts to challenge India’s secular constitution.
