Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said the RSS’s core objective remains to promote India as a Hindu nation and advance Hindutva, arguing that its fundamental ideology has not changed.
Tharoor made the remarks at the 15th anniversary of the India International Movement to Unite Nations (IIMUN) in Mumbai, where RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had interacted with Gen Z and Gen Alpha members for about an hour on Thursday.
However, Tharoor described Bhagwat’s recent remarks as a positive development. “I have been observing the RSS chief’s statements for ten years. Now I see a change in them,” he said.
5 key points from Tharoor’s dialogue
Dialogue with those who hold different ideologies is necessary: Those calling for my expulsion from the party because I attended an event where Mohan Bhagwat was also present fail to understand that dialogue can take place with people who hold different ideological views.
Gen Z will be the largest voting group in 2029: Gen Z will form the largest voting bloc in 2029. Much of the country needs to recognise that young people want change and that things cannot continue as they have in the past. Political parties across South Asia can no longer assume that traditional ways of doing politics will continue to work. I have always maintained within my party that road-related work should be done on the streets, while parliamentary work should be done in the legislature.
I’m in the party closest to my ideology: The Congress is the least undemocratic party. Have you ever heard of anyone in the BJP openly expressing dissent and still remaining in the party? I am in the party that is closest to my ideology.
CJP’s issues had already been raised by Rahul Gandhi: Many of the issues highlighted by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) during the nationwide student protests had previously been raised by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi through his ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign. However, those concerns did not receive the same level of public support.
Congress needs to understand the public mood: Congress had raised similar concerns several months before the CJP became a prominent force in the student movement. We need to seriously reflect on why the party’s efforts failed to generate a similar public response and work towards better understanding the pulse of the people.
June 17: Rahul launches ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign
Before the CJP-led agitation, Rahul Gandhi launched the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign in Kota, Rajasthan, on June 17. The campaign was later taken to several other cities across the country.
Despite raising several issues concerning students and young people, the Congress campaign did not attract the widespread public support that was later seen during the CJP-led student movement.
Bhagwat says Gen-Z is not anti-national
Bhagwat’s interaction with Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha in Mumbai was among the RSS’s prominent recent engagements with young people.
During the interaction, Bhagwat rejected the perception that Gen-Z was anti-national and said the younger generation needed to be heard rather than dismissed.
His comments came amid nationwide student protests over the NEET paper leak. The protests continued for 36 days at Jantar Mantar and eventually led to calls for accountability from the government, with Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan facing pressure over the issue.
