Attempts made to vilify RSS after Independence, says PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid tribute to the founders and swayamsevaks (volunteers) of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) who "dedicated themselves to nation building" and said they stayed the course on putting the nation first despite attempts to vilify the organisation and target its members after India gained Independence.

- Smriti Kak Ramachandran

Pointing out that it is often said about the Sangh that "ordinary people come together to accomplish extraordinary and unprecedented work", the PM said as a swayamsevak, he was happy that the RSS has drawn up a "road map" to fight the current challenges that India faces such as "attempts to break the unity of the country and changes to the demography..."

The PM is a former swayamsevak of the Sangh, the ideological fount of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. He also released a commemorative stamp and a coin to mark the centenary of the organisation that was set up in 1925.

"In its journey of dedication to the nation, it's not as if the RSS has not been targeted...Even after Independence, efforts were made to vilify the RSS. There were innumerable conspiracies hatched to prevent the RSS from joining the mainstream... Guruji (second RSS chief MS Golwalkar) was trapped in false cases and sent to prison. But when he came out, he did not show any resentment," the PM said.

Quoting Golwalkar, Modi said when we accidentally bite the tongue, we don't break the teeth. This simplicity and the virtue of not allowing negativity to take over, has empowered the volunteers to continue to work in the face of opposition, he said.