India Is a Hindu Nation, No Constitutional Approval Needed: Mohan Bhagwat

The chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Mohan Bhagwat, on Sunday said that India is inherently a Hindu nation and does not require constitutional endorsement to establish that identity.

Addressing a conference in Kolkata, Bhagwat stated that India would continue to remain a Hindu nation as long as its people honour the country’s cultural heritage and take pride in the legacy of their ancestors.

“Hindustan is a Hindu nation. Just as the sun rises in the east without constitutional approval, India’s civilisational identity does not depend on legal validation,” Bhagwat said, according to news agency ANI. He added that anyone who considers India their motherland and respects its culture contributes to sustaining that identity.

The RSS chief said the organisation does not concern itself with whether Parliament chooses to formally include the term ‘Hindu Rashtra’ in the Constitution. “Whether such an amendment happens or not is irrelevant to us. The truth remains unchanged,” he said, while clarifying that Hindutva is not defined by caste-based divisions rooted in birth.

Bhagwat also encouraged the use of native languages over foreign ones in daily life, suggesting that people should embrace regional linguistic traditions as an expression of cultural pride.

Addressing perceptions about the RSS, he said misconceptions had been fuelled by misleading narratives. The organisation, he asserted, is nationalist in outlook but does not harbour anti-Muslim sentiment. “Our work is transparent. Anyone can observe it and form opinions based on direct experience,” he said.

He further claimed that the RSS does not pursue a political agenda and that negative propaganda against the organisation has intensified due to fears surrounding the resurgence of Hindu cultural identity. Bhagwat urged people to base their opinions on facts rather than narratives or secondary information.