Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat is on a visit to Manipur. On Friday, during his address, he spoke about the strength of civilisation, society and the nation. During the speech, Bhagwat said that a fundamental social network has been built, which ensures the continuity of Hindu society. ‘If Hindus do not survive, the world will not survive,’ he said.
Bhagwat added, ‘Everyone has to assess circumstances. Situations arise and fade away. Countries across the world have faced all kinds of circumstances. Some even ceased to exist. Greece, Egypt and Rome, all vanished. Yet, there is something about us that our legacy remains intact.’
‘If Hindus do not survive, the world will not survive’
He said, ‘India represents an immortal society and an immortal civilisation. Others emerged, shone for a while and disappeared. We have witnessed the rise and fall of all of them. We are still here and will continue to be here because we created a basic social framework. This is why Hindu society will survive. If Hindus do not survive, the world will not survive, because the true meaning of dharma and its guidance has always been provided to the world by Hindu society. This is our divine duty.’
‘The sun of the British empire set in India’
Bhagwat asserted that every problem can be resolved. Citing the example of Naxalism, he said that it ended when society collectively decided it would no longer tolerate it. He added, ‘The sun of the British Empire never used to set. But its sunset began in India. We worked for 90 years to achieve this, from 1857 to 1947. Throughout that time, we fought for independence. That voice of freedom was never allowed to die out. It may have weakened at times, but it was never suppressed entirely.’
‘India’s economy must be self-reliant’
Stressing the need for self-reliance, Bhagwat said the country must aim to be independent of external dependence. ‘Our economy should be completely self-reliant. We should not depend on anyone. We must have economic ability, military ability and knowledge ability and these should grow. Our objective must be to ensure that the country remains secure and prosperous, and that no citizen is unhappy, impoverished or unemployed. Everyone should work for the nation and live a life of contentment,’ he said.
