Indian PM Modi praises Hindu nationalist organisation in unprecedented Independence Day address

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated a segment of his annual Independence Day address to praising the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist paramilitary organisation, widely considered the ideological parent of Modi’s right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). 

Local media reported that Friday’s comments marked the prime minister’s first mention of the RSS in his twelve Independence Day addresses to date. 

Describing the RSS as the “largest NGO in the world”, Modi praised its “100 years of national service” and its role in nation-building.

The RSS was founded in 1925 as a volunteer organisation meant to realise the national vision of Hindutva, a Hindu nationalist ideology that believes that India is both the “father land” and “holy land” of Hindus, as opposed to religious minorities for whom the same may not be true. 

The ideology, whose early founders sought inspiration from both German Nazism and the Zionist movement, forms the ideological basis of the Hindu nationalist politics espoused by the BJP.

With six million members across the country, and affiliated chapters in the US, UK and diaspora, the RSS has been associated with acts of Hindu extremism and religious violence.

Deep roots

Modi joined the RSS as a child and rose through its ranks of leadership before beginning his political career within the BJP. 

What is Hindutva and why does it matter?

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As of 2019, 71 percent of the BJP members of parliament in the Modi government had been associated with the RSS, according to a report by Indian news platform, The Print. 

Indian media reported that Modi’s comments on Friday have drawn widespread criticism due to their explicitly sectarian implications, as well as the RSS’s lack of active involvement in the Indian independence movement.

Under the Modi government, human rights organisations have noted a significant increase in violence against minorities, particularly Muslims, alongside an unprecedented crackdown on dissent.

The RSS will mark its centenary on 26 August with a series of events featuring high-profile invitees.

Indian media has reported that while diplomats from across the world have been invited to the celebrations, representatives from India’s neighbouring Pakistan and Bangladesh, as well as Turkey, have been excluded from this list. 

Modi’s speech also touched on “self-reliance” and national security, notably unveiling the plan for the “Sudarshan Chakra” air defence system, widely described by media and experts as India’s “Iron Dome”, likening it to the Israeli anti-missile system.

The announcement comes weeks after bilateral talks between the Indian defence secretary and the director general of Israel's ministry of defence, where representatives from the two countries announced “a pivotal step in India-Israel defence relations” and reinforced “both sides’ commitment to enhance their strategic partnership”.