Is Talking in Country's Interest Political, Asks RSS Leader Bhaiyyaji Joshi

Nagpur RSS general secretary Suresh 'Bhaiyyaji' Joshi on Wednesday slammed those labelling the Sangh as a political organisation, and asked whether talking in the interest of the country was political.

Joshi was speaking on the occasion of the birth anniversary of RSS' second sarsanghchalak (chief) Madhav Sadashivrao Golwalkar also known as Guruji.

Questioning the criticism that whatever the RSS spoke was political in nature, he said, "Is thinking about rashtra and country politics? How can this be? If there are questions about the country's border, will the common man of the country not think about it?"

"If something good happens in the country, then should we not express happiness over it? Should one remain quiet if the identity of the nation is attacked? Hence, there is a need for every section of the society to think about the good and bad things happening. But if such thinking is done, it is termed as politics. Such is the deformity we have!" he said.

"Sangh is also called political by people. But we never contested any elections and there is no possibility also of such a thing happening. In RSS, elections are held and people don't come to know about it," he added.

"Is talking in the interest of the nation political? Is it political to say that the country's Army and Army officers should become able and remove their shortcomings? Is it political to speak about how the country's economy should be? Are all these things political?" Joshi asked.

"What is true should be told. What is appropriate and necessary should be told. Hence, we have experienced during the time of Guruji- he did not say what suited people. But he tried to say what is appropriate for the people all his life, whether people liked it or not. And he said what is good for the people and the society," he added.

"Should we not talk about what is true and what is necessary before the society and the country? And such thinking comes out of Guruji Gowalkar's teaching and life," he added.

"Guruji was never a political leader, but he had from time-to-time given appropriate point of view on the things happening in the country. He was not political, but now the word politics has become corrupt and it is a different thing... it has become so in the recent period," he said.