Tamil Nadu CPI(M) State Secretary Shanmugam on Wednesday hit back at RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat over his remarks that evil forces are trying to dismantle India through seeking regime change, saying the ongoing protests are for specific demands. The left leader accused the RSS of deflecting from public grievances by portraying the BJP-led government as a "golden age".
Reacting to Bhagwat's comments at the RSS's annual Vijayadashami Utsav gathering in Nagpur on Tuesday, Shanmugam acknowledged that the Communists wanted to remove the BJP government, which he described as being led by the RSS, from power. However, he stressed that the protests currently taking place across the country were centred on limited demands rather than being solely aimed at changing the government.
"RSS chief, Mr Mohan Bhagwat, has stated during the Vijayadashami festival that the ongoing protests are struggles for regime change and that they will not provide solutions to fundamental issues," Shanmugam said.
"We, as Communists, indeed desire to overthrow the BJP government, which is led by the RSS, from power. However, it is well known to all the people of the country that the ongoing protests are being conducted for limited demands," he added.
Taking a swipe at Bhagwat, the CPI(M) state secretary accused him of attempting to deflect attention from the specific issues behind the protests by portraying the current government as an ideal administration.
"Therefore, do not attempt to deflect by portraying yourselves as if you are governing some golden age and that we are struggling to topple it," Shanmugam said.
WHAT MOHAN BHAGWAT SAID ABOUT PROTESTS
Mohan Bhagwat, addressing the RSS's annual Vijayadashami Utsav gathering in Nagpur on Tuesday, said agitations aimed at regime change did not necessarily resolve fundamental problems. He warned that protests could be turned into instruments serving political interests, potentially deepening divisions in society instead of addressing public grievances.
Citing recent upheavals in Bangladesh, Nepal, France and Albania, the RSS chief argued that forces pursuing their own interests often sought to alter political circumstances through regime change, without necessarily achieving the intended results.
"They claim that changing a regime will change the situation, but that has never really happened," Bhagwat said.
He maintained that protests were inevitable in a democracy but argued that their purpose should be to find solutions to problems rather than create further social divisions.
"Problems will remain,\ and protests are inevitable in a democracy. But what should the purpose of protests be? They should be aimed at finding solutions," he said.
Bhagwat cautioned that agitations driven by objectives other than public welfare could become political instruments, fuelling hostility towards individuals, groups or ideologies.
He also urged political leaders, protesters and the administration to ensure that their actions did not create bitterness or divisions in society. He emphasised that public conduct must remain within constitutional limits and the norms of civilised discourse.
"However intense our emotions may be, we must respect the limits set by our Constitution, the norms of civilised public discourse and standards of decent conduct," he said.
During his address, the RSS chief also argued that a stronger India would constrain forces seeking to weaken and divide the country. He said that while some global powers wanted India to develop, they did not want it to become powerful enough to challenge their dominance.
Bhagwat alleged that certain forces exploited social differences, encouraged a sense of victimhood among communities and sought to undermine public faith in the country's institutions to create discontent and disorder.
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