‘Political class showed mutual understanding': RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat calls for lasting political unity post-Pahalgam attack, warns against forced conversions

Time of India

2 days ago

NEW DELHI:
chief
on Thursday urged that the political consensus and swift government response seen after the Pahalgam terror attack in April should become a lasting feature of India's national security approach.
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Speaking at the concluding event of the Karyakarta Vikas Varg in Nagpur, he praised the collective political will and military resolve demonstrated in the aftermath of the attack.
'Action was taken after the heinous terror attack in Pahalgam. The valour of our Army shone once again in it. The firmness of the administration was also seen. The political class showed mutual understanding. The society gave the message of unity. This should continue and become a permanent feature,' Bhagwat said, referring to retaliatory actions under
, including strikes on terror hubs in Pakistan and PoK.
He said the people were angry after the massacre of tourists in Pahalgam on April 22 and wanted justice, which led to the military response. Operation Sindoor marked a significant escalation, with Indian armed forces bombing terror-linked airbases in Pakistan and repelling drone attacks.
Bhagwat warned that enemies were engaged in a proxy war against India. 'Those who can't win a direct fight with India want to bleed our country by the policy of a thousand cuts,' he said, invoking Winston Churchill's WWII speech to highlight societal resilience.
'Churchill had said that society was the true lion, and he merely roared on its behalf.'
He further called for national unity and restraint, cautioning against provocation and internal conflict. 'No group or class should come into conflict with another. Acting impulsively or taking the law into one's own hands is not in the country's interest.'
Bhagwat came down strongly against religious conversion through coercion or inducement, calling it a form of violence.
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'Conversion is violence. We are not against it when done by choice. But luring, forcing and pressurising is something we are against,' he said, adding that such acts insult people's ancestors and heritage. 'We are with you (in the fight against conversion),' he told tribal leader and former Union minister Arvind Netam, who was present as chief guest.
Netam, hailing from Chhattisgarh, echoed these concerns and criticised successive governments for ignoring religious conversions in tribal areas.
'I think RSS is the only institution which can help us in this area,' he said, urging the Sangh to push the central government for a post-Naxalism action plan to prevent recurrence.
He also criticised the non-implementation of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA), saying it was vital for tribal self-governance and community empowerment.
Earlier, in an interview with Organiser, Bhagwat had said India must become militarily and economically self-reliant, asserting, 'We have no option but to be powerful as we have been witnessing the wickedness of the evil forces on all our borders.' He emphasised that true strength must be matched with righteousness, or it risks becoming directionless and violent.
The RSS chief concluded that unity, moral strength, and readiness are the pillars of a resilient and powerful India. 'Our roots lie in unity, not in division,' he said.