Bengaluru, Nov 9 RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, while responding to a question about the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s legal authenticity, and whether it remains unregistered by choice or to avoid legal obligations, said that 'many things exist without registration, and even Hindu Dharma is not registered'.
He made this statement during a question-and-answer session on the second day of the event “100 Years of Sangh Journey: New Horizons” held in Bengaluru on Sunday.
Bhagwat stated, “This question has been answered many times. Those who want to raise such questions keep repeating them, and we have to keep responding. This is not the first time this issue has been raised.”
“The Sangh began in 1925. Do you expect us to have registered with the British government -- the same government our Sarsanghchalak was fighting against?” he asked.
After independence, he explained, the laws in independent Bharat (India) do not make registration compulsory. “The legal status is also granted to unregistered bodies of individuals. We are categorised as such and are a recognised organisation,” he underlined.
Bhagwat further said, “The Income Tax Department once asked us to pay income tax, and there was litigation. The court ruled that we are a body of individuals, and our 'Guru Dakshina (donations)' were exempted from income tax.”
“We were banned three times, which itself implies that the government recognises us. If we didn’t exist, whom did they ban? Each time, the courts dismissed the ban and reaffirmed that the RSS is a legal organisation,” he added.
“Questions are often raised in the Assembly and Parliament; statements are made both in favour of and against the RSS. All of this indicates recognition. Legally and factually, we are an organisation. We are not unconstitutional -- we function within the framework of the Constitution. Therefore, we don’t need to register,” Bhagwat clarified.
“Many things exist without registration. Even Hindu Dharma is not registered,” he reiterated.
Answering a question about the RSS’s vision for the next two decades, Bhagwat said, “We want to unite and organise the entire Hindu society, imparting quality and discipline so that it creates a prosperous and strong Bharat -- a nation that can share the knowledge of Dharma with the world, making it happy, blissful, and peaceful.”
“That part of the task has to be carried out by the entire society -- the entire nation. We are preparing the Hindu society for that purpose. This is our single and only vision. Once we fulfil that vision, we have nothing else to pursue,” he said.
“Organising the entire Hindu society is our task, and we will accomplish it. To organise society, we will do whatever is required. Our mission is to build an organised and strong Hindu society,” Bhagwat concluded.
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