BHOPAL, Sept 20: RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale on Sunday said India’s growing global influence should be used for the welfare of humanity and not for dominating or exploiting other countries.
Addressing RSS volunteers at Lal Parade Ground in Bhopal, Hosabale said India’s civilisational journey had demonstrated its ability to overcome crises and emerge stronger. He also credited the country’s scientists and people for making significant contributions in various fields and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had enhanced India’s stature internationally.
Hosabale said India’s progress should be assessed not only through economic and material development but also by the contribution the country makes to the wider world.
“India is progressing rapidly, but this means that India is rising, and it should rise. India’s rise should bring many kinds of benefits to humanity,” he said.
He added that India’s advancement should not be driven by a desire to dominate, suppress or exploit others, but by the objective of serving humanity.
The RSS leader also spoke against caste discrimination and untouchability, calling such practices a “blot” on Hindu society. He said there should be no discrimination based on birth and argued that social equality was essential for strengthening the community.
Referring to the Ramayana and Lord Ram’s acceptance of berries offered by Shabari, Hosabale questioned the practice of caste-based discrimination. He said mistreatment in the name of caste weakens society and urged people to begin addressing such practices through changes in their own behaviour and within their families.
According to Hosabale, laws and public speeches alone cannot eliminate casteism and untouchability. He said meaningful change requires individual participation and changes in everyday conduct.
Highlighting the importance of social participation during emergencies, Hosabale recalled the relief activities undertaken by RSS volunteers during the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters. Referring to recent floods in Assam, he said volunteers associated with Seva Bharati had helped affected communities, while young people, college students and others also joined relief efforts.
He said serving the nation should become a collective responsibility extending to every village and settlement.
Hosabale also stressed the need for greater public participation in environmental protection. He said conservation efforts should go beyond resolutions and become part of everyday practices at homes, schools, workplaces, markets and neighbourhoods.
He urged RSS volunteers to contribute to keeping rivers clean and protecting nature through their own actions.
The RSS leader further said India’s development should show how material prosperity and spiritual well-being could progress together in a balanced manner.
His remarks came two days after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat addressed a gathering of around 1,700 Gen Z participants at the ‘Yuva Dharma Sansad’ in Ujjain, where he spoke about human limitations and the tendency to believe that everything is under one’s control.