RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat warned that protests could be driven by political interests and become a source of social division. The pursuit of votes, popularity and political gains, he said, should not override conscience and goodwill. – Apoorva Mandhani
A “storm” from the West seeks to dismantle systems and cultures across the world, with India as its ultimate target, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said in his Vijayadashami address in Nagpur on Tuesday morning.
“A storm has come from the West, which is against every type of system, every type of decency, every type of auspiciousness, every type of culture and sanskar. They want to destroy, corrupt and disrupt it,” he said, citing recent protests over the cost of living in Europe, particularly in France, where more than 1,000 people were arrested.
“Listen to the news that has been coming since the last few days, what is happening in France, what is happening in Albania. What happened in Bangladesh, what happened in Nepal, all this is their doing,” he said, and added that regime change had not improved conditions in these countries.
“Till now they say that the situation will improve by changing the regime, but this has never happened. It has not happened before, it is not happening even today,” he said.
He also alleged a conspiracy against India and said, “This network operates worldwide to ensure that its stooges, who nurture their own interests, remain dominant everywhere. India’s growth will restrict such operations, so India is its ultimate goal,” Bhagwat added.
Bhagwat’s remarks came amid protests in Delhi demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of irregularities in the preparation of electoral rolls under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
A political controversy has also emerged after senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, speaking at a press conference alongside Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke and AISA president Neha Bora, said seeking “regime change is every citizen’s constitutional right”.
Bhagwat alleged that “demonic forces” were at work in India but had been unsuccessful because of the country’s policies, its leadership and the growing awareness among young people.
“This demonic force knows this and that is why India is their target. … They talk about how they will break India, Hindus and Sangh. They talk about ‘dismantling’, and they get help too,” he said, adding that political ambition and the pursuit of power could lead some leaders to support such efforts.
Bhagwat also said leaders seeking to implement specific policies must behave with decency, friendliness and respect for citizens’ rights. Such conduct, he said, would gradually help create the social environment needed for those policies to succeed.
Those who want to start a fight will start a fight, he said, adding that in such scenarios, even the Sangh is often targeted by “those who cannot tolerate its development and progress.”
He also spoke about the RSS’s efforts to strengthen society and linked it to Flydubai pilot Captain Smit Machchhar who has been receiving widespread praise for foiling an alleged hijacking attempt by his co-pilot on a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight. “It is this very nature and these values, passed down from generation to generation, that inspired Captain Smit Machchar to put his own life in danger and devote himself to protect human lives,” said Bhagwat.
‘Solutions come from initiatives, not agitations’
Bhagwat devoted a substantial part of his address to protests, saying that problems were inevitable in a large society and a developing country. In a democracy, he said, protests should aim to resolve issues without creating discord, hostility or divisions.
“If the aim of the movement is a solution, then any group doing the movement or the government administration or political leaders taking action to maintain peace and order, no kind of discord, enmity, division should arise in our unified society due to our actions,” he said.
He added that protests and the actions taken to manage them must remain within the bounds of the Constitution, the law and standards of decent conduct.
Bhagwat warned that protests could be driven by political interests and become a source of social division. The pursuit of votes, popularity and political gains, he said, should not override conscience and goodwill.
“To ensure that society does not fall prey to this, even ordinary people will have to exercise this discretion. It is highly unlikely that a movement will solve a problem. Solutions are found not through movement but through social initiatives; there are many examples of this,” he added, citing an initiative undertaken by RSS workers in rural schools.
Citing concerns over the adverse effects of unchecked content, Bhagwat also called for regulations on social media sites and OTT platforms. He said that since information is freely accessible to everybody, the younger generation needs guidance on what is appropriate and what is not. – The Print, 20 October 2026
› Apoorva Mandhani is a Senior Assistant Editor at ThePrint. She is an award-winning journalist who covers politics and the judiciary.
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