Daijiworld Media Network - Bhopal
Bhopal, Jun 28: Madhya Pradesh minister Kailash Vijayvargiya has said that after the BJP came to power, almost every government officer and employee tries to highlight an association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), while emphasising that the organisation should focus on creating “good human beings” rather than only increasing its numbers.
Addressing a programme in Bhopal, Vijayvargiya said many officials who meet him now mention their or their family’s connection with the RSS.
“We are in government now, and every officer who comes to me says, ‘Sir, when I was posted in Shajapur, I used to attend the shakha run by Makhan Singh.’ Every officer who comes says, ‘I have also worn the belt, tied the band and worn the shorts.’ After our government came to power, everyone became associated with the Sangh. Every officer became a Sangh man,” he said.
The senior BJP leader said some officers even claim that their fathers were associated with the organisation.
“One officer told me his father used to attend the shakha. Another said his father was the head of a shakha. There is a huge crowd now, and everyone has their own way of claiming an association,” Vijayvargiya said.
However, he said the growing number of people associated with the RSS should not overshadow the importance of values and character.
“Today, there are crowds everywhere, but there is a scarcity of good human beings. The organisation is growing and, one may say, the ideology is also expanding. But if there are no good human beings, what is the significance of that ideology? This is something we need to reflect upon,” he said.
Vijayvargiya’s remarks come amid a political debate surrounding the RSS as it completes 100 years of its existence.
Recently, Karnataka minister and senior Congress leader Priyank Kharge wrote an open letter to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat seeking details about the organisation’s legal status, finances, office-bearers and constitutional accountability.
Bhagwat rejected the demand, calling it a “political gimmick” and stating that he saw no need to respond.