PM Modi lauds RSS centenary, says it is devoted to nation-building; Opposition questions Sangh's role in freedom struggle

New Delhi [India], October 2 (ANI): On the sacred occasion of Vijayadashami, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh marked its centenary with grand celebrations in Nagpur and other parts of the country.
On the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recalled the efforts of Sangh, saying that from its very inception, the RSS has devoted itself to nation-building. "To achieve this, it chose the path of character-building," he said.
"Vyakti nirmaan se rashtra nirmaan, nation-building through character-building - this has been the Sangh's path. For this, it created the unique, simple and enduring mechanism of the daily shakha. The shakha is an inspiring place where every swayamsevak begins his journey from 'Me to We' and goes through a process of personal transformation," Prime Minister Modi wrote in his blog.
Congress and other opposition parties launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party and the RSS, with them invoking Mahatma Gandhi as their centenary celebrations coincided with the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. They also questioned RSS' role in the Indian freedom struggle.
"Not a single person lost his life in the freedom struggle", said All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said that "cowardice" was at the heart of the ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Citing External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's statement about China that he made in 2023, Gandhi said that RSS' ideology is to "beat up weak people" and run away from those who are stronger than them.
"This is the nature of BJP-RSS. If you notice a statement of the foreign minister, he said, 'China is much more powerful than us. How can I pick a fight with them?' At the heart of the ideology is cowardice," Gandhi, who is the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha, said while addressing a gathering in an event at EIA University of Colombia.
Marking 100 years of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday emphasised the importance of individual character building and the central role of the Shakha system in nurturing discipline and value-driven citizens.
Delivering his annual Vijaydashami speech in Nagpur on Thursday, Bhagwat said, "The system for creating individuals was destroyed in our society during the long period of foreign invasion... the Sangh Shakha is such a system. For the past 100 years, Sangh Karyakartas have consistently sustained the system in all kinds of circumstances. We must continue to do this in the future... that is why Swayamsevaks must undertake the discipline of changing their own habits by actively participating in the daily Shakha activities."
"The Shakha exists to nurture individual and collective qualities and spirit to create a favourable atmosphere for better basic human values and solidarity within the society, while actively engaging and cooperating in social activities," he added.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his 156th birth anniversary.
The Chief Minister said that India's secular fabric was preserved due to the efforts of Mahatma Gandhi.
"Our India is a secular country for all religious people, and it is Mahatma Gandhi who has sown the basic philosophy of it! He is the power that will always give us the strength to face the seeds of hatred among the people and the forces of division whenever they arise," CM Stalin wrote on X.
CM Stalin also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for issuing a commemorative postage stamp on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh centenary celebrations.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Brinda Karat slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's centenary celebration. She alleged that the PM was trying to do a whitewash job on the fact that "the RSS had absolutely nothing to do with the freedom struggle.
Meanwhile, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat, also emphasised that the organised, strong, and virtuous form of the Hindu society is the ultimate guarantee of India's unity, integrity, development, and security.
RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat paid tribute to the founder of the organisation, K.B. Hedgewar, in Nagpur on Thursday at the RSS Vijaydashmi Utsav event. The organisation has completed 100 years since its establishment, which dates back to 1925.
Former President Ram Nath Kovind, who was the chief guest at the function, was also present during the tribute.
Founded in 1925 in Nagpur, Maharashtra, by Dr 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. (ANI)