Archive · 31 Aug 2026
RSS Chief’s Pluralism Message Faces Test in India
Mohan Bhagwat, the leader of the RSS, spoke about religion and India in New York.
He said a Hindu who wants Muslims removed from India cannot truly remain a Hindu.
He also said India’s different religions and cultures should be protected.
In his view, diversity is part of the country’s deeper unity.
The editorial says these ideas sound more inclusive than some older RSS writings and actions.
Those writings described some religious groups as enemies of the nation.
The article also says the Constitution was built around protecting India’s many cultures.
It concludes that people should judge the RSS by whether its actions match Bhagwat’s words.
Mohan Bhagwat said in New York that Hindus who want Muslims expelled from India cannot remain Hindu.
At a Faith Leaders’ Conference, Bhagwat described diversity as a protected expression of India’s underlying unity.
He said India’s traditions include providing shelter to people of different religious denominations.
Critics point to the RSS’s historical cultural-nationalist ideology and past descriptions of Muslims and Christians as internal enemies.
The editorial argues that the RSS and India’s government must demonstrate through action whether Bhagwat’s inclusive message reflects their practice.
- Who
- Mohan Bhagwat, the RSS chief, speaking alongside leaders from Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Islam.
- What
- Bhagwat said Muslims should not be driven out of India and argued that religious diversity should be protected.
- When
- At a Faith Leaders’ Conference; the article does not provide a date.
- Where
- New York.
- Why
- To explain his view that India’s diversity is an expression of an underlying unity.
Bhagwat’s Stated Position
Critics’ Concerns
Religious diversity
Bhagwat’s Stated Position
Bhagwat presents India as a place where different religions are complementary parts of one national unity and says all communities should be protected.
Critics’ Concerns
Critics say the RSS has historically promoted a Hindu-centered cultural nationalism that does not fully accept India as a union of equally valued cultures.
Words and practice
Bhagwat’s Stated Position
Bhagwat’s remarks suggest a more inclusive understanding of India and reject the idea that Muslims should be expelled.
Critics’ Concerns
The editorial says RSS affiliates and governments have continued practices and controversies that divide people along religious lines, so actions must be examined.
Relationship with constitutional values
Bhagwat’s Stated Position
Bhagwat’s emphasis on unity in diversity resembles the pluralist spirit associated with India’s constitutional framework.
Critics’ Concerns
The editorial argues that the RSS has not historically supported fundamental constitutional principles, including federalism.
- Speaker
- Mohan Bhagwat, chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
- Location
- New York
- Conference
- Faith Leaders’ Conference
- Central statement
- A Hindu who believes Muslims should be driven out of India cannot remain a Hindu.
- Bhagwat’s principle
- Diversity should be protected because unity lies behind it.
- Historical criticism
- Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar’s Bunch of Thoughts described Muslims, Christians and Communists as internal enemies.
- Editorial conclusion
- The RSS and the government must make their actions match Bhagwat’s words.