The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is open to debating national issues but people must remain vigilant against forces opposed to the country’s interests infiltrating and misusing public protests, a senior Sangh leader said on Saturday, reported PTI.
Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh Sunil Ambekar said RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and other senior functionaries were willing to engage in discussions on the organisation’s views on nationalism, Hindutva and other issues. He added that such debates had been taking place for more than a century.
Ambekar was speaking to the media ahead of the RSS’s annual meeting, scheduled to begin in Indore on November 2.
Asked whether the organisation was late in reaching out to younger people, particularly after the recent Gen Z protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, Ambekar said it was wrong to assume that the RSS either supported or opposed those raising questions about issues concerning the country.
“If someone in the country raises their voice on an issue, why do you consider the Sangh to be either for or against it? That is a wrong way of thinking. If someone raises a question concerning the country, that is fine. They have the right to do so,” he said.
However, he stressed that protests should serve the country’s interests and not be exploited by forces opposed to them.
Referring to Bhagwat’s address at the RSS’s Vijayadashami celebrations in Nagpur, Ambekar said people must ensure that protests were aimed at taking the country forward.
“Everyone must remain vigilant to ensure that forces opposed to the country’s interests do not infiltrate protests and misuse them,” he said, according to PTI.
Ambekar added that the RSS remained attentive to the issue and would continue to monitor developments.
RSS on social media and youth engagement
Ambekar also said the RSS was not opposed to emerging mass communication platforms or new technologies but believed they should be used responsibly.
“The Sangh does not oppose any mass communication medium or its new technology, but as human beings, we certainly need to think about how we use these platforms. The Sangh will continue to work towards creating awareness in society on this issue,” he said.
Claiming that youth participation in RSS activities was increasing, Ambekar said around two lakh people had attended the organisation’s introductory training camps over the previous year. He added that the Sangh continued to engage young people through various programmes.
RSS calls UGC regulations ‘imbalanced’
On the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) controversial regulations, Ambekar said the RSS had already described the circular as “imbalanced”.
He said the government and the UGC had taken note of the concerns raised, while the court had stayed the regulations. The matter was now before the judiciary, he added.
“Our position is that whatever happens next on this issue should be balanced, and the government must ensure this,” Ambekar said.
He also cautioned against allowing a single circular to disrupt social harmony and called for unity in society.
The Centre notified the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, in January. The regulations require higher education institutions to establish equity committees to examine complaints of discrimination and promote equality.
The committees are required to include members from the Other Backward Classes (OBC), Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), along with persons with disabilities and women.
RSS annual meeting to discuss organisational changes
Asked whether the RSS, which runs more than one lakh daily shakhas across the country, was considering registering itself, Ambekar said there was no such proposal at present.
He said the organisation had started more than 13,000 new shakhas over the past year.
Ambekar added that 408 functionaries, including Bhagwat and RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, would attend the Akhil Bharatiya Karyakari Mandal meeting, which begins in Indore on November 2.
The three-day meeting will discuss several issues, including proposed changes to the organisation’s structure.
The Akhil Bharatiya Karyakari Mandal is the RSS’s principal organisational body. According to Sangh functionaries, the meeting is also expected to review programmes marking the organisation’s centenary year and discuss content for new communication platforms, foreign interference in the country, the global situation and substance abuse.
