Bhagwat Warns Against Regime-Change Politics in Nagpur Dussehra Speech

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Tuesday, October 20, used his annual Vijayadashami address at the organisation’s Reshimbagh headquarters in Nagpur to warn against “regime-change” agitations, saying protests in a democracy must aim at solutions and stay within the limits set by the Constitution. He cited recent upheavals in Bangladesh, Nepal, France and Albania, and said outside forces use such movements to advance their own interests, according to reports in The Tribune and The Federal.

Protests Should End in Solutions, Bhagwat Says

“Democracy will witness agitations. But any agitation must lead to a solution,” Bhagwat said, according to The Tribune. “They claim that changing a regime will change the situation, but that has never really happened,” he said, as reported by The Federal. He said leaders, protesters and the administration should all avoid creating bitterness. Both outlets read the remarks as an indirect reference to the ongoing protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar led by the Cockroach Janta Party and opposition parties. He also accused “ambitious politicians” of backing anti-India forces, without naming anyone.

Calls on OTT Content, Drugs and Himalayan Development

Bhagwat urged the government to consider regulating content on OTT platforms and social media, saying young people were being exposed to age-inappropriate material. He called drug addiction a serious national problem, warned against consumerism, and said the recent Nepal floods were partly the result of “one-sided development” across the Himalayan region.

RSS Enters Its 101st Year

The Vijayadashami speech is the RSS’s main yearly address, delivered on the day the organisation was founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in 1925. This year’s event marked its 101st year. Senior journalist Sanjay Gupta, Editor-in-Chief of Dainik Jagran, was the chief guest, and former Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar attended as a special invitee, the RSS-linked weekly Organiser reported. Bhagwat performed the traditional Shastra Pujan before the address. Last year’s centenary event was attended by former President Ram Nath Kovind as chief guest.

The CJP protests remain before the courts: two of its leaders, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, are in judicial custody until a hearing on October 21. IPB has also explained what Supreme Court rulings say about preventive detention and why the CJP has been protesting.

Source: Organiser (RSS-linked weekly) report on the Vijayadashami Utsav. Also based on reporting by The Tribune and The Federal.

Image: Organiser.