Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief, Mohan Bhagwat, on Thursday said the stance taken by various countries after the deadly Pahalgam attack in Kashmir in April showed who India’s friends are.
Speaking at the RSS’s annual Vijayadashmi rally in Nagpur, which also marked the centenary of the organisation, Bhagwat said, “Even though we maintain friendly relations with other countries, and we will continue to do so, when it comes to our security, we need to be more careful, more watchful and stronger. After the Pahalgam attack, the positions taken by various countries also revealed which of them are our friends, and to what extent.”
The RSS was founded on Dussehra day (September 27) in 1925 in Nagpur by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, a physician from Maharashtra.
Former president Ram Nath Kovind was present as the chief guest at the event on Thursday.
On the massacre in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam which killed 26 people, Bhagwat said terrorists had crossed the border and killed victims after confirming their religious identities. The Indian army’s response to the tragedy, said the RSS chief, was befitting, referring to Operation Sindoor.
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“This caused immense pain and anger in the country. Our government made complete preparations and gave a firm rebuttal. In the aftermath, the leadership’s resolve, the valour of our armed forces and the unity of society were evident,” he said.
Backing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bhagwat said the “extremist elements had faced action from the government” and also been isolated by the society.
“They [the extremists] will be controlled. A major hurdle has now been removed in that area,” he stated.
Highlighting the reasons for some people to become a part of the fringe element, Bhagwat said a lack of schemes that ensure justice, development, goodwill, sensitivity and strength often leads to the rise of extremist forces, and that the state and society must come together to reinforce their faith in the system.
“People who are annoyed by the system’s lethargy tend to seek support from such extremist elements. To prevent this, the state and society must work together through initiatives that give people faith in the system,” he said.
On the US imposing steep 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, Bhagwat pushed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘vocal for local’ motto, saying citizens should buy ‘swadeshi goods’ to achieve self-reliance.
“The new tariff policy implemented by the US was done keeping in mind the interest of their own. But everyone is affected by them... The world functions with dependence on each other; this is how relations between any two nations are maintained. No country can survive in isolation. This dependence must not turn into compulsion... We need to rely on swadeshi and focus on self-reliance... Yet strive to maintain diplomatic relations with all our friendly nations, which will be with our wish and without compulsion,” he said.
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