Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day address from the Red Fort has stirred significant political controversy after he praised the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), calling it “the biggest NGO in the world” and lauding its 100-year contribution to nation-building.
In a move that sparked sharp criticism across the political spectrum, Modi said, “A hundred years ago, a movement was born the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. For a century, this organisation has dedicated itself to the welfare of the nation. Through service, dedication, organisation, and unparalleled discipline, the RSS has played a unique role in nation-building.”
The Prime Minister’s reference to the RSS, a Hindu nationalist organisation often criticised for its ideological rigidity and lack of participation in the freedom struggle, was met with accusations of politicising a national event and undermining the country’s secular foundations.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) called the remarks “an insult to martyrs” and condemned the use of a historic occasion to promote what it described as a “sectarian, oft-banned organisation.”
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh echoed similar concerns, calling the endorsement a “blatant violation of the spirit of a constitutional, secular republic.” He suggested that the Prime Minister’s remarks were politically motivated, aimed at securing continued support from the Sangh ahead of the RSS’s 75th anniversary next month. “Decisively weakened since the events of June 4, 2024, the Prime Minister is now entirely dependent on Mohan Bhagwat’s favor to extend his tenure beyond September,” Ramesh alleged.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi went further, accusing Modi of glorifying an organisation that “hated Gandhi more than the British” and “stood on the sidelines” during India’s independence struggle. “Modi could have praised the RSS from Nagpur as a Swayamsevak, but why use the Red Fort as Prime Minister? That’s an insult to the freedom struggle,” Owaisi said. He also warned of the internal threat posed by “the hate and division spread by the Sangh Parivar,” calling it more dangerous than external challenges like China.
Congress MP Manickam Tagore also criticised the Prime Minister for whitewashing the RSS’s historical role. “The RSS’s legacy is not one of fighting colonialism but of spreading hate and division,” he said, noting that the organisation kept away from key anti-British movements like the Civil Disobedience and Quit India campaigns. “British records show the RSS was seen as a non-threat, especially when compared to the Congress or the Indian National Army,” he added.
Tagore cited historical figures such as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who had once acknowledged the RSS’s limited role in the freedom movement, to argue that the Prime Minister’s remarks were politically expedient. He alleged that Modi’s praise for the RSS was part of a larger plan to block discussions of his potential retirement in September 2025.
“India’s freedom was secured by revolutionaries, Congress-led mass movements, INA soldiers, and millions of ordinary citizens,” Tagore said. “To sideline that history in favour of an organisation that stayed aloof is an insult to our martyrs.”
Opposition leaders, while differing in tone and language, largely united in calling the Prime Minister’s speech a distortion of historical truth. They accused him of misusing a national platform for ideological appeasement and urged citizens to uphold the secular and democratic values enshrined in the Constitution.
