"India is rising, marking its presence in world despite big powers": RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat

Sikar (Rajasthan) [India], August 12 (ANI): Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Tuesday highlighted India's growing global presence, stating that the country is rising to meet the world's needs despite predictions of its downfall after independence.
Speaking at an event in Sikar, Bhagwat emphasised India's resilience and progress, particularly in democracy, where the country has surpassed many nations.
Bhagwat noted that India's growth is evident in its ability to make its presence known globally, despite the influence of bigger powers.
"We are seeing it today that every time the world is in need, India rises. If we look at our country's history after independence, based on that history, no one could say that India will rise," Bhagwat said while speaking at an event in Sikar in Rajasthan.
He praised India's democratic system, saying it has proven its detractors wrong and is now a model for many countries.
"But today, India is rising and making its presence in the world despite the big powers. Some people had predicted that democracy would not be able to function in India after independence. Today, when we talk about democracy, India is ahead of many countries of the world," he said.
Bhagwat's remarks came as the Opposition parties are intensifying their charge that the BJP-led centre is undermining democracy in the country by electoral fraud in connivance with the Election Commission.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, had alleged "vote theft" in the 2024 general election. The Opposition parties also demand the rollback of the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in the poll-bound Bihar. They allege that the exercise would disenfranchise a large section of society.
On Monday, the INDIA bloc MPs marched to the headquarters of the EC in Delhi demanding the rollback of the SIR.
Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, on Tuesday slammed the EC over the SIR, accusing it of "misusing" its status as a Constitutional institution.
"This is Bihar's misfortune. The names of many voters are being continuously removed, many people do not have documents, and there are many who live outside Bihar but vote in Bihar. This is a conspiracy by the BJP, and the BJP is getting its work done by using the Election Commission as a front... Bihar needed a special package and special state status so that Bihar could progress. But SIR is being implemented. No one is opposing SIR, but its process is being opposed," he told reporters, highlighting his intense opposition to the exercise. (ANI)