Faisal Ahmad<\/p>\n
Narendra Modi\u2019s obsession with glorifying the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has once again exposed the dangerous ideological tilt of his regime. On Independence Day, Modi hailed the RSS as the \u201cworld\u2019s biggest NGO.\u201d An outfit widely known for communal hatred, subversion of democracy, and links to political violence has now been rebranded by India\u2019s Prime Minister as the world\u2019s largest charitable organization.
\nThe opposition did not mince words. For them, Modi\u2019s remarks are not mere rhetoric but a calculated attempt to whitewash the RSS\u2019s dark past and normalize its vision of \u201cRam Rajya\u201d \u2013 an exclusivist Hindu Rashtra at odds with India\u2019s constitutional values. Congress, left parties, and regional leaders slammed what they described as the \u201cglorification of a terror outfit.\u201d
\nCongress spokesperson Pawan Khera delivered perhaps the sharpest critique: \u201cWhere is the RSS\u2019s registration certificate? An NGO must have one. Where are its bank accounts?\u201d He then launched a stinging chronological attack on the Sangh, reminding Indians of its record: \u201cSpying for the British during its first 25 years, dishonouring the Tricolour and Constitution in the next 25, playing temple-mosque politics in the following 25, and in the past 25 years, snatching the rights of Dalits and backward classes. Such an NGO should be shut down as soon as possible.\u201d
\nKhera also underscored the RSS\u2019s dubious role in Gandhi\u2019s assassination, calling it the \u201cRashtriya Sandighda Sangathan\u201d \u2013 a suspicious organization \u2013 rather than a legitimate NGO. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was equally scathing. He accused Modi of insulting the spirit of Independence Day by praising an organization that \u201copposed the freedom struggle, rejected the Constitution, and served colonial masters.\u201d
\nRajya Sabha MP John Brittas echoed these sentiments, condemning the government\u2019s decision to elevate Savarkar\u2019s portrait above Gandhi, Bose, and Bhagat Singh in official advertisements. He called it a calculated attack on secular values and part of a broader ideological campaign to rewrite history in Hindutva\u2019s image.
\nBeyond the opposition\u2019s remarks lies a deeper concern. By branding the RSS as the \u201cworld\u2019s biggest NGO,\u201d Modi is attempting to legitimize an organization whose agenda undermines India\u2019s secular fabric. The RSS never took part in the freedom struggle, has never sworn loyalty to the Constitution, and continues to push divisive majoritarian politics. The glorification of the Sangh is about reinforcing Hindutva hegemony: elevating Savarkar, whitewashing the RSS, and aligning India\u2019s future with an exclusivist ideology.
\nOpposition leaders are right to call this out. A country that prides itself on secularism cannot afford to have its Prime Minister endorse an outfit that thrives on communal polarization. To present the RSS as a benevolent NGO is not only historically dishonest but politically dangerous. It normalizes hate in the garb of social service and erodes the constitutional promise of equality.
\nIn the end, Modi\u2019s words may have been intended as praise, but they have reignited old debates about the RSS\u2019s role in India\u2019s history. Far from emerging as the \u201cworld\u2019s biggest NGO,\u201d the Sangh stands exposed once again as an ideological project whose shadow continues to haunt the soul of Indian democracy.<\/p>\n
The writer is an alumnus of QAU, MPhil scholar & a freelance columnist, based in Islamabad. He can be reached at fa7263125 @gmail.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Faisal Ahmad Narendra Modi\u2019s obsession with glorifying the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has once again exposed the dangerous ideological tilt of his regime. On Independence Day, Modi hailed the RSS as the \u201cworld\u2019s biggest NGO.\u201d An outfit widely known for communal hatred, subversion of democracy, and links to political violence has now been rebranded by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[13178],"class_list":{"0":"post-502982","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-article","7":"tag-faisal-ahmad"},"yoast_head":"\n