RSS Shakhas Open To All Indians Except ‘Aurangzeb’s Descendants’: Mohan Bhagwat
RSS chief Bhagwat said all Indians are welcome to join the organisation's shakhas, except for self-proclaimed 'descendants' of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat has remarked that all Indians are welcome to join the organisation’s shakhas, regardless of their sect, caste, or creed—except those who identify themselves as “descendants” of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
Responding to a volunteer’s question during a shakha in Varanasi on Sunday, Bhagwat said, “The doors of shakhas are open for all those who say ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and show respect to the saffron flag. In the ideology of the Sangh, there is no discrimination on the basis of the worship method.” The interaction took place at a morning shakha held at Lajpat Nagar Park in the Maldahiya area of Varanasi on the fourth day of Bhagwat’s visit to the city, Hindustan Times reported.
When a volunteer asked if he could bring his Muslim neighbours to attend the shakhas, Bhagwat clarified that the organisation welcomes everyone who aligns with its patriotic and cultural values.
“Except those who consider themselves descendants of Aurangzeb, all Indians are welcome to the Sangh Shakhas because the worship methods of Panth, Jaati and Sampraday (sects, castes, and communities) are different, but the culture is one,” he said, as quoted by HT's report.
Mohan Bhagwat On ‘Akhand Bharat’, Highlights Plight Of Sindh Province
Bhagwat also addressed the concept of ‘Akhand Bharat’ (undivided India), saying that those who view it as impractical should observe the condition of Sindh province, which, according to him, is now facing difficult circumstances after being separated from India. “The parts that have been cut off from India are facing a plight today,” he said, adding that Akhand Bharat is, therefore, practical.
During the same visit, Bhagwat planted a neem sapling at Lajpat Nagar Park and held discussions with municipal commissioner Akshat Verma and chief development officer Himanshu Nagpal.
In a separate event in Nagpur last week, Bhagwat stated that the trend of losing battles to foreign invaders had continued since the time of Alexander the Great, often under the guise of religious expansion. He noted, “Shivaji Maharaj was the first one who gave a strong solution to such attacks and invasions.”
Senior RSS leaders including Kashi province sar karyawah Virendra Jaiswal, pracharaks Ramesh Kumar, Dr Hemant Gupta, Nitin, Dr Shiveshwar Rai, Rajesh Trivedi, Dinesh Kalra and Rajneesh Kanaujia were present at the Varanasi programme, the report stated.
RSS Leaders On Auragzeb Tomb Row
Last month, RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said that individuals with an “invader mindset” pose a threat to India. He emphasised that India must align itself with those who embody its cultural ethos rather than those who stand against it. Regarding the controversy surrounding Aurangzeb’s grave in Maharashtra, Hosabale said that the Mughal ruler had been “made an icon” instead of his brother Dara Shikoh, who advocated for social harmony, as per Times Of India.
Senior RSS leader Suresh 'Bhaiyyaji' Joshi had said the call for the removal of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's tomb has been raised unnecessarily. "The topic of Aurangzeb's tomb has been raised unnecessarily. He died here (in India), so his tomb has been built here. Those who have faith will go." "We have Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's adarsh (role model), he had built the tomb of Afzal Khan. This is a symbol of India's generosity and inclusiveness. The tomb will remain, whoever wants to go will go," the former RSS general secretary remarked, as per PTI.
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