"Insult to our freedom struggle": Kerala LoP on release of postage stamp, coin to mark RSS's centenary

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], October 2 (ANI): Kerala's Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan on Thursday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's release of a specially designed commemorative postage stamp and coin highlighting the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's contributions to the nation.
"Shameful! PM releasing a stamp & coin for the RSS is an insult to our freedom struggle. RSS never fought for independence--it betrayed it. Glorifying them is rewriting history, and the people of India will never accept this disgrace," Satheesan said in a post on X.
To mark the completion of 100 years of RSS, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday released a specially designed commemorative postage stamp and coin highlighting the Sangh's contributions to the nation.
Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan compared the RSS to Zionists in Israel.
Addressing a public meeting in Kannur on Wednesday, Vijayan said, "Zionists in Israel and RSS in India are twin brothers."Taking a jibe over the H-1 B visa fee hike imposed by US President Donald Trump, he questioned PM Modi's silence.
He said, "Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a humble servant of US President Donald Trump. Modi did not say a word when the Trump administration brought Indian citizens in handcuffs or increased visa fees. If it is a self-respecting nation, blood will flow. But we have seen rulers who become humble servants."
Pinarayi Vijayan also accused Modi of not responding even when Trump raised tariffs on Indian goods.
Earlier, the Kerala CM slammed PM Modi for releasing a specially designed commemorative postage stamp and coin highlighting the RSS's contributions to the nation, and called it a grave insult to the Indian Constitution.
"Commemorating the RSS centenary with a postage stamp and a 100-rupee coin is a grave insult to our Constitution. It legitimises an organisation that abstained from the freedom struggle, promoting a divisive ideology that aligned with the colonial strategy. This national honour is a direct assault on the memory of our true freedom fighters and the secular, unified India they envisioned," the Chief Minister said in an X post.
Vijayan's remarks come amid CPI(M)'s disagreements with the Sangh.
Meanwhile, as the RSS turns 100 years old, the organisation is holding centenary celebrations on October 2, Vijayadashmi in Nagpur. Founded in 1925 in Nagpur, Maharashtra, by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, the RSS was established as a volunteer-based organisation with the goal of fostering cultural awareness, discipline, service, and social responsibility among citizens.
The centenary celebrations not only honour the historical achievements of the RSS but also highlight its enduring contributions to India's cultural journey and its message of national unity. (ANI)