RSS Chief: Hindu Dharma Not Registered, Yet Govt Recognises Us
RSS Chief: Hindu Dharma Not Registered, Yet Govt Recognises Us
Mohan Bhagwat defends RSS status, says Hindu dharma isn’t registered and cites past bans and post‑independence recognition during a Bengaluru event, sparking debate.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat addressed a debate over the organisation’s formal registration during a Bengaluru event held on November 8-9. He stressed that many institutions and traditions aren’t registered, including Hindu dharma, and argued that registration isn’t a prerequisite for legitimacy. Bhagwat pointed to the organisation’s long history and asserted that recognition can come from the state in other ways, not solely through formal registration.
He highlighted that the RSS has been banned three times in the past, and claimed that such bans effectively amounted to government recognition of the organisation’s existence and influence. “If we were not there, whom did they ban?” he asked, framing the bans as a form of implicit acknowledgement rather than a legal takedown.
On the legal and tax dimensions, Bhagwat said the post-independence government did not make RSS registration compulsory. He also spoke about the RSS’s tax status, asserting that tax authorities and courts have noted the RSS as a body of individuals and have exempted it from tax. This, he suggested, demonstrates a form of official recognition even without formal registration.
Addressing the organisation’s broader mandate, Bhagwat reiterated that the RSS’s aim is to organise Hindu society for the glory of the nation rather than for political power. He defined Hindu as all Indians, arguing there is no concept of an Ahindu (non-Hindu) within the country. The remarks came at a time when the RSS’s role in public life has been a subject of intense political and social debate, including discussions about space and access for the organisation in public forums.
In Bengaluru, Bhagwat underscored that the RSS’s work is rooted in cultural and social mobilization aimed at national progress, insisting that unity among Hindus should be pursued through constructive social engagement rather than through legal formalities alone.
Cover image source: ‘Even Hindu dharma is not registered’: Mohan Bhagwat on RSS legal status, cites bans to say ‘govt recognised us’ 🔗
