The Congress party sharply criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for praising the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on the occasion of its centenary celebrations. The party questioned the basis of Modi’s commendation, alleging that the RSS is an organization linked to Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination and was once banned by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s first Home Minister.
Congress leader Supriya Shrinate challenged Modi’s remarks, stating, “Why is the Prime Minister praising the RSS? Issuing a coin in its honor doesn’t justify its actions. This is an organization stained with Gandhi’s blood and banned by Sardar Patel.” She was referring to the RSS’s historical ban following Gandhi’s assassination in 1948.
Citing Pyarelal, a close aide of Gandhi and his secretary after Mahadev Desai’s death in 1942, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh claimed that Gandhi had described the RSS as a “communal organization with a dictatorial mindset.” Ramesh referenced Pyarelal’s book, Mahatma Gandhi: The Last Phase, published by Navjivan Prakashan in Ahmedabad. The first volume, released in 1956 with a foreword by then-President Rajendra Prasad and endorsed by Vice-President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, and the second volume, published in 1958, mention a conversation on September 12, 1947, where Gandhi allegedly made this remark. Ramesh shared a screenshot of the relevant page from the book to support his claim. He noted that less than five months after this conversation, Sardar Patel imposed a ban on the RSS.
On Wednesday, PM Modi lauded the RSS during its centenary event, stating that the organization has always worked with a “nation first” principle despite facing attacks. In response, Congress reminded Modi of the historical context, including Gandhi’s assassination and the atmosphere of communal tension at the time. Ramesh further cited a letter written by Sardar Patel to Shyama Prasad Mookerjee on July 18, 1948, where Patel held the RSS and Hindu Mahasabha responsible for creating an environment that led to Gandhi’s assassination.
The letter stated, “The activities of the RSS and Hindu Mahasabha created a climate that made such a tragic event possible. The RSS’s actions posed a threat to the government and the nation’s existence, and their activities continued despite the ban.”
Ramesh also highlighted a public address by Patel in Jaipur on December 19, 1948, where he made critical remarks about the RSS. In contrast, Modi emphasized during the centenary event that the RSS never harbored bitterness despite facing opposition and consistently upheld the “nation first” ethos.
