Muslims, Christians Can Join RSS But On One Condition, Says Mohan Bhagwat

On Sunday, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said that people from all religions, including Muslims and Christians, can join the Sangh.

Responding to a question on whether Muslims or people from other faiths are allowed to join the RSS, Bhagwat said, “No Brahmin is allowed in the Sangh. No other caste is allowed in the Sangh. No Muslim is allowed, no Christian is allowed in the Sangh… Only Hindus are allowed.”

He added, “People of different denominations, Muslims, Christians, any denomination can come to the Sangh, but they must keep their separateness out. Your speciality is welcome, but when you come inside the Shakha, you come as a son of Bharat Mata, a member of this Hindu society.”

Further, Bhagwat said, “Muslims come to Shakhas, Christians come to Shakhas, as do people from various castes in what is routinely called the Hindu society. But we don’t count them, and we don’t ask who they are. We are all sons of Bharat Mata, that is how the Sangh works.”

The question was raised during an in-house Q&A session organised by the RSS.

Responding to Congress leaders who questioned the RSS’s registration and sources of funding, Bhagwat said, “The RSS was established in 1925. Do you expect us to have registered with the British government?”

He further explained, “We are categorised as a body of individuals, and we are a recognised organisation. Both the Income Tax Department and the courts have described the RSS as a ‘body of individuals.’”

Referring to past government actions against the Sangh, Bhagwat said, “We were banned thrice. So, the government has recognised us. If we were not there, whom did they ban? We always respect, offer tribute to, and protect our tricolour.”

When asked about the RSS’s involvement in politics, Bhagwat said, “We do not participate in vote politics, current politics, or election politics. The Sangh’s work is to unite society, and politics, by nature, is divisive, so we keep out of politics.”