Implications of PM Modi's praise of RSS from Red Fort

    Independence Day is not just a national festival, but it is the occasion when the Prime Minister of India presents his vision on the direction and condition of the country from the ramparts of the Red Fort. This speech usually focuses on the achievements, challenges and future plans of the government, but on Independence Day 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did something in his speech that had not happened in the last eleven years. He mentioned the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) from a public platform, praised its hundred-year journey and even called it the world's largest NGO.

    This incident is not limited to mere formal praise. It has happened at a time when there have been strong discussions about tensions in the relationship between BJP and RSS and the challenges of electoral politics are looming. The question is why did Modi take the name of the Sangh on a national occasion like Independence Day and what are its political, ideological and strategic implications?

    Prime Minister Modi mentioned the RSS at the 82nd minute of his 103-minute long speech. He said, A hundred years ago today, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was born. This is a proud golden page of hundred years of national service. With the resolve to build the nation by building the individual, the volunteers have dedicated their lives for the motherland. Service, dedication, organization and unmatched discipline have been the identity of this organization. It is the world's largest NGO.

    This statement is not just praise, but a political message. Modi formally showed the RSS to be involved in the nation-building process, which he was highlighting on Independence Day. This mention has been made at a time when reports of sour relations between the BJP and the Sangh have been coming out continuously. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP did not get the expected majority. Analysts said a major reason for this was that the RSS volunteers did not show as much activism at the grassroots level as they used to show earlier.

    Before the elections, BJP President J.P. Nadda's statement was also in the news that the BJP has now become so capable that it does not need the Sangh. The Sangh dismissed this statement as a family matter, but discontent grew within. After this, many indirect statements of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat came to light, in which he questioned the working style of the BJP leadership. In this background, Modi's praise of RSS can be considered an attempt to balance the relations and cool down the possible conflict.

    For the past year and a half, there has been a conflict between Modi and the RSS leadership on how to run the BJP. Modi's model is centralised and authoritarian, while the Sangh has been emphasising on consensus. This is the reason why the election of the party president has been postponed for a long time, and the Sangh has been uncomfortable about this. Modi took the support of the RSS for granted for years, but in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Sangh made him realise that without the ground strength of the volunteers, the BJP's electoral machinery could be weakened. This is why Modi is now trying to improve relations.

    Bihar assembly elections are to be held in the coming months, followed by elections in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry. In such a situation, the role of the Sangh can be decisive. In states like Bihar, the direct political power of the Sangh may be limited, but it has the ability to create an atmosphere at the local level through word of mouth. If the Sangh workers adopt an indifferent attitude towards the BJP or indicate support to the opposition parties, then the electoral equations can change. Modi's praise of the Sangh from the Red Fort can be seen in the sense that he wants to ensure that the Sangh does not work silently against the BJP in the upcoming elections. This move of Modi can be a part of the politics of quid pro quo between the BJP and the Sangh. The BJP wants that the leaders of its choice should be appointed to posts like Vice President. The Sangh insists that the post of party president should be given to the person of its choice.

    It is possible that there may be an agreement between the two, and under the compromised formula, such a president should be chosen, who is acceptable to Modi-Shah and also trustworthy for the Sangh. Prime Minister Modi's praise of the Sangh has also been surrounded by criticism. Asaduddin Owaisi said that glorifying the RSS on Independence Day is an insult to the freedom struggle, because the Sangh did not play an active role in the freedom struggle and many times was seen standing with the British.

    Congress leader Jairam Ramesh called it a violation of the spirit of a constitutional secular republic and said Modi was trying to appease the Sangh ahead of his 75th birthday so that he could continue in office. Some analysts also questioned on what basis the RSS was being praised in the Independence Day speech when it had no presence in the important movements of the freedom struggle - the Non-Cooperation Movement, the Dandi March and the Quit India Movement.

    Interestingly, recently Mohan Bhagwat made a statement that leaders should step down after crossing the age of 75. This comment was seen as a hint towards Modi, as he will turn 75 in September. There has been a long-standing tradition in the BJP that leaders who cross the age of 75 retire from active politics, but will Modi follow this tradition? Amit Shah has already made it clear that Modi will complete his term. In this background, the praise of the Sangh is also being seen as Modi trying to strike an equation with the Sangh before his 75th birthday so that his leadership is not challenged.

    The RSS has long been accused of not playing an active role in the freedom movement. Rather, many times its priority was anti-Congress and anti-Gandhi. Nathuram Godse, who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi, had an early association with the Sangh and before his hanging, he sang the Sangh's prayer. Due to these facts, when the Prime Minister praises the Sangh on Independence Day, critics consider it an insult to the legacy of the freedom movement, but the reality is also that after independence, the Sangh has left a deep mark on Indian politics organizationally. The political journey of the BJP is incomplete without the working style and ideological direction of the Sangh, so Modi's speech is not just praise but an exercise to strike a political balance.

    Overall, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's praise of the RSS from the Red Fort is a multi-dimensional political message. First, an attempt to calm the ongoing rift between the BJP and the Sangh, second, to ensure the use of the ground strength of the Sangh in the upcoming elections, third, to pave the way for agreement on posts like Vice President and Party President, to protect his leadership from challenge even after the age of 75, although this move has also raised new controversies. Critics consider it the politicization of a national occasion like Independence Day and question the historical role of the Sangh. Ultimately it can be said that this move of Modi is not just a symbolic praise but a strategic move that will shape the politics of the coming years. How successful this move will be will be decided by the stance of the Sangh in the elections in Bihar and beyond.