Congress declares RSS 'irrelevant' following Mohan Bhagwat's remarks

Mohan Bhagwat. Pic/PTI

On Wednesday, the Congress party said that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has become "irrelevant" and that the Constitution, democracy, and society can protect themselves without the RSS or its president Mohan Bhagwat. The declaration from the opposition party followed Bhagwat's remarks on a variety of matters, including the violence in Manipur and the Lok Sabha Elections 2024.

Pawan Khera, Congress' media and publicity chief, said, "Mohan Bhagwat ji, you reap what you sow." The error lies with the gardener, not the soil."

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According to the PTI report, Khera questioned Bhagwat's silence on several crucial topics, saying, "When farmers experienced bad weather and police action outside the capital, you remained silent. You remained silent as a Dalit girl who was raped and murdered in Hathras; when the rapists of Bilkis Bano were released and welcomed, you remained silent. When Dalits were urinated on, you remained silent. You remained silent when Pehlu Khan and Akhlaq were slain. When Kanhaiya Lal's killers' links to the BJP were revealed, you remained silent."

"Your silence, combined with Narendra Modi's, has rendered you and the Sangh irrelevant. Amit Shah and the BJP have sidelined you. Your last chance came when BJP leaders contemplated amending the Constitution, but you stayed silent," Khera said. "What is the use of speaking now?"

He said that the Constitution, democracy, and society do not require the RSS or Bhagwat since they can "protect and reboot" themselves, the PTI report stated.

According to the report, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also chastised Bhagwat, invoking a Hindi couplet by Kabir: "Karta raha so kyon kiya, ab kari kyon pachtaye, boye pedh babool ka, amua kahan se paye" (loosely translated to 'you must reap what you sow').

Bhagwat previously expressed alarm about the ongoing violence in Manipur, adding that the situation must be prioritised. Speaking at an RSS gathering in Nagpur, he emphasised the significance of unity among all Indian communities, as well as the need to go beyond political hyperbole to confront national challenges, the report added.

He, per the news agency report, stated that while the RSS does not participate in electoral discussions, it does focus on spreading awareness about the necessity of voting. Bhagwat also advocated for cooperation between the ruling party and the opposition to work for the common good, underlining the importance of conducting elections with dignity and without resorting to lies, which he blamed on technology manipulations such as deepfakes.