RSS chief says no to divisions for pol gains

Nagpur, Oct 20
Dr Mohan Bhagwat, Sarsanghachalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has said that society should not be divided in the pursuit of cheap popularity or political gains.
"Many problems exist in a society as large as ours, and there may also be several shortcomings in the system. Therefore, protests to resolve these problems are natural.  However, society should not be divided in the pursuit of cheap popularity or political gains through such protests," Dr Mohan Bhagwat said  addressing the centenary culmination Vijayadashmi Utsav of RSS at Reshimbagh Ground in Nagpur.
Regardless of whether it is a section of the society staging a protest, the Government and administration taking action to maintain peace and law and order, or political leaders, everyone must ensure that their actions do not create tension, hatred, hostility, bitterness or divisions within our united society, he further said.  
He also said that however intense "our emotions may be, our conduct must remain within the framework of the Constitution and the law."
Saying that everyone must also remain mindful of the need to maintain civilian dignity and decorum in their language, actions and dealings, he added that the desire to win votes, the temptation of cheap popularity or the greed for political gains must not overpower "our conscience and goodwill.".
Sanjay Gupta, editor-in-chief of Dainik Jagran, was present as the chief guest on the occasion.
Vidarbha Prant Sanghachalak Deepak Tamshettiwar, Sah Sanghachalak Shridhar Gadge and Nagpur Mahanagar Sanghachalak Rajesh Loya were present on the dais.
Rajesh Loya delivered the introductory remarks.
Before the main address, Swayamsevaks provided guard of honor to the dignitaries on the dais through Pradakshina Sanchalan.
Swayamsevaks also presented physical demonstrations.
Among the distinguished guests attending the programme were former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Yaniv Revach, Consul General of Israel for India’s Mid-West region.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, former Governor Banwarilal Purohit, and several other dignitaries were also present at the event.
At the beginning of his annual address, Dr Mohan Bhagwat paid tribute to Sant Ravidas, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Swami Shraddhanand of the Arya Samaj, Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati and Sriman Raj Narayan Basu.
On the occasion, Dr Bhagwat also reviewed the various programmes organised during the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) centenary year.
According to the figures presented, outreach activities were conducted across 461,527 villages and 41,076 urban settlements, covering a total of 101,988,511 households across the country.
A total of 426,497 men and women attended symposiums organised in 1,117 districts.
Harmony meetings were held in 5,036 blocks, while Hindu gatherings were organised in 34,187 mandals. These gatherings witnessed the participation of 3,925,225 young people.
Dr Bhagwat also reviewed the various programmes conducted during the RSS centenary year.
He expressed concern over the growing trend of drug addiction among the youngsters and emphasised the need to take effective measures to address the problem as soon as possible.
Dr Bhagwat expressed regret that the RSS was unnecessarily dragged into unpleasant or unexpected incidents in society, even when the organisation had no connection with those incidents and did not support them.