Bhagwat turns 75; BJP leaders led by PM Modi heap praise on his leadership of RSS

New Delhi, Sep 11 (PTI) RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat turned 75 on Thursday, with a galaxy of leaders from the ruling alliance, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, heaping praise on his leadership of the Hindutva organisation.

Sarsanghchalak, as the head of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is called, since 2009, Bhagwat has presided over the organisation's expansion and outreach to different sections of the society, including minorities.

He is seen as an affable, articulate and conciliatory voice who has ensured a smooth working relationship with the ruling BJP, ensuring that none of the public acrimony that had marred the ties between the two organisations when the party was in power for the first time as the head of a coalition government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee between 1998 and 2004 is witnessed since Modi came to power in 2014.

The RSS, which has 32 affiliates operating in a host of sectors ranging from education to labour, was long considered an organisation that avoided public communication, blamed by critics for its inherent secretiveness and by sympathisers for a largely unreceptive and even hostile outside world, and Bhagwat is credited with opening it up.

He has often engaged in interaction with different sections of the society, including minorities who have long looked at the RSS' Hindutva agenda with a suspicious eye, and only recently held a three-day dialogue, featuring a question-answer session, with a varied audience.

His comments like one should not look for a Shivling under every mosque or that the DNA of every Indian is same have at times riled a section of the right wing but he has been steadfast in promoting a Hindutva world view that acknowledges the country's inherent diversity of faiths and ideologies.

Son of a RSS functionary, Bhagwat has risen through the ranks of the organisation, occupying different positions and working in various parts of the country, before taking the top position in place of an ailing K S Sudarshan.

Modi, senior members of his cabinet like Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah and J P Nadda, who is also the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president, wished Bhagwat and praised his stewardship of the organisation, which has been the ideological inspiration for the saffron party.

The prime minister said Bhagwat's tenure as the head of the RSS since 2009 will be considered the most transformative period in the organisation's 100-year journey.

In a glowing piece that appeared in several newspapers on Thursday, Modi said Bhagwat is a living example of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" (the world is a family) and has dedicated his entire life to societal transformation and strengthening the spirit of harmony and fraternity.

Noting that it is a pleasant coincidence that the completion of the RSS' 100-year journey and Vijaya Dashami, as well as the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri, fall on the same day this year, he said the Hindutva organisation has a very wise and hardworking head in Bhagwat.

Shah said Bhagwat has done unforgettable work in social service and in the character-building of youngsters through the RSS. He played an important role in making the organisation a shield for democracy during the Emergency, the home minister added.

Singh praised Bhagwat's commitment and dedication to nation-building and man-making, saying his invaluable contribution to the preservation of India's cultural values is an inspiration for countless RSS workers.

Under Bhagwat's guidance, Nadda said, the Sangh has taken the mantra of service, dedication and nation-building, besides the message of harmony and unity, to the masses.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also wished Bhagwat. PTI PK KR RC