Nagpur, India: Sparking another controvert Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Friday (Oct. 03) described Hindutva as India’s “national identity”.
Mohan Bhagwat’s speech on the occasion of Dusshera, a Hindu festival, which coincides with 89th foundation day of RSS was aired by state-owned television Doordarshan (DD).
The hour-long broadcast by DD for the first time of an RSS function stoked a row with Congress and other opposition parties attacking the government for “misuse” of the state broadcaster. BJP defended it, saying RSS genuinely contributed to “patriotism” and always patronized ‘justice to all’ philosophy.
Deprecating the live telecast, Congress spokesman Sandeep Dikshit said it was a “dangerous tradition”. “It is a dangerous tradition. This is not an organisation which is completely neutral. It is a controversial organisation,” he said, adding it is a political decision of the government.