RSS supports policies, not political parties: Mohan Bhagwat

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Nov 9, 2025: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat has said that the organisation supports policies and principles rather than any political party or individual, asserting that the Sangh’s focus is on national interest and social unity, not electoral politics.

Speaking at an event in Bengaluru marking the centenary of the RSS, Bhagwat said, “We do not support any political party. We do not participate in election politics. Sangh works to unite society, while politics is divisive. We support policies.”

Citing the example of the Ram Temple movement, Bhagwat said RSS volunteers supported those who backed its construction. “If Congress had supported the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, our swayamsevaks would have voted for that party. We don’t have a special affinity for any one party. All Bharatiya parties are ours,” he said.

Reiterating that the Sangh’s goal is nation-building, he said, “We support rashtraneeti (national policy), not rajniti (politics). Those who take the country in the right direction will have our support.”

When asked whether Muslims can join the RSS, Bhagwat clarified, “No one is allowed in the Sangh based on caste or religion. People from any background, including Muslims or Christians, can join if they keep their separateness aside. When you come to the shakha, you come as a son of Bharat Mata. We don’t count who they are.”

Responding to criticism from Congress leaders questioning why the RSS is not a registered organisation, Bhagwat said the Sangh has always been legally recognised. “RSS started in 1925 — do you expect us to register with the British government? Even after Independence, registration is not compulsory. We are a recognised ‘body of individuals’. The organisation has been banned thrice, and each time the ban was lifted by courts. We are not unconstitutional,” he said.

He further remarked that the RSS “gets stronger whenever there is opposition.”

Bhagwat’s comments come amid renewed criticism from Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, who recently said that RSS should be banned.

Addressing another question on the organisation’s stance toward the national flag, Bhagwat said the RSS has always respected the Tricolour. “The Sangh adopted the saffron flag in 1925. The national flag came later, in 1933. Since then, we have always respected, paid homage to, and protected the Tricolour,” he said.

“There is no question of Bhagwa versus Tricolour,” Bhagwat added, noting that different parties have their own flags — “The Communist Party has red, the Congress has Tricolour with charkha, the Republican Party has blue — and the Sangh has its Bhagwa.”