Regime change won’t fix problems, Bhagwat says as RSS closes centenary year

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat used his annual Vijayadashami address in Nagpur on Tuesday, 20 October, to argue that movements seeking to topple governments do not fix the problems they claim to target, and that such efforts would not succeed in India. The speech, delivered at Reshimbagh ground, also marked the close of the Sangh’s year-long centenary programme, a century after Keshav Baliram Hedgewar founded the organisation in the city on Vijayadashami in 1925.

According to ANI, the chief guest was Sanjay Gupta, editor-in-chief of Dainik Jagran. Former Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Israel’s Consul General in Mumbai were among the other invited guests, while Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union minister Nitin Gadkari were in the audience. Bhagwat performed the customary shastra puja and offered flowers at Hedgewar’s memorial before speaking.

Protests, yes; regime change, no

The central thread of the address, as reported by The Federal and Siasat, was a caution against agitations aimed at changing governments. Bhagwat pointed to recent turmoil in Bangladesh, Nepal, France and Albania, saying a change of rulers seldom alters conditions on the ground and that interested groups often exploit such movements. Siasat quoted him as saying regime change would not happen in India.

He did not reject protest itself. Disagreement and street agitation, he said, are a normal feature of a democracy, but they should seek solutions rather than votes or hostility towards any group, and stay within the bounds of the Constitution. He asked protesters, political leaders, police and officials alike to show restraint. The Federal linked the remarks to ongoing youth-led protests in Delhi involving the Cockroach Janta Party and Opposition parties against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, though Bhagwat is not reported to have named any group.

OTT, drugs and development

Bhagwat asked the Centre to consider safeguards for OTT platforms and other digital content, noting that some countries have restricted social media, and urged parents to help young people develop judgement about what they watch. He described drug abuse as a serious national problem and said swayamsevaks would bring together groups already working against it, though thebengalurulive noted that no timeline or funding was announced. He also warned against artificial intelligence being misused for fraud, and blamed one-sided development for disasters in the Himalayan region, including recent floods in Nepal.

On national unity, he described India’s diversity as something to be respected rather than feared, called for Vande Mataram to be sung in full, and set out the Sangh’s “Panch Parivartan” agenda covering social harmony, family values, the environment, swadeshi and civic discipline. Reports differed slightly on centenary outreach figures: The Quint cited more than 10 crore households, while thebengalurulive put it at about 10.2 crore.

Reactions

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the speech “very motivating” in a post on X, according to Punjab Kesari English, which cited IANS. He singled out its stress on service and nation-building, and the Panch Parivartan idea. No formal Opposition response to the speech itself had been reported by early afternoon. Before the event, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh had seized on Dhankhar’s invitation, telling The Tribune that the saffron “ecosystem” appeared to be at war with itself, a claim the RSS did not address.

Sources: The Federal, Siasat, The Bengaluru Live, ANI, Punjab Kesari English, The Tribune