India should follow Japan: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat

AGRA: What's with Japan and the right-wing's fascination with it? It is not just PM Narendra Modi who has been cozying up to the eastern nation ever since his chief ministerial days. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ( RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, too, believes India can grow "only when it will follow the Japanese".

Addressing around 5,000 students and RSS workers on the last day of the three-day "Yuva Sankalp Shivir" in Agra, Bhagwat referred to a book titled 'The Incredible Japanese' and said, "Even if all Indians just read the nine points, on the book's last page, about the character of the Japanese, no one will be able to defeat them (Indians)."

"United States ruined Japan with nuclear weapons (in 1945). The country suffered huge losses of wealth and manpower. Still, it rose (back to its former glory) in just 30 years. Indians were only plundered by the British 70 years ago. We had the manpower but we could not rise in the absence of a common goal. If we want to rise, we must take lesson from Japan," sarsanghchalak Bhagwat said.

"Indians don't have unity. We have many languages, many religions and many gods. Look at Englishmen, they speak one language, worship one god and believe in one religion. Indians must remember that it is Hindutva which gave birth to Indian culture and those who ridicule Hinduism will never be able to rise."

Bhagwat urged all students at the camp to read 'The Incredible Japanese' and learn from it.

Elaborating on the nine points in the book, Bhagwat said, "The book says Japan rises as the common man of the country is patriotic. It rises as he is ready to serve the nation. It rises as the common man is ready to bear losses for his or her country. The Japanese society is disciplined and they think for the development of others along with their own."

The RSS chief said that the organization was inculcating patriotism among youths, who are the backbone of the country. He also appreciated PM Narendra Modi's "Swachh Bharat" campaign and said that small things lead to bigger changes.

Making a call for expansion of the Sangh, Bhagwat invited all countrymen to visit shakhas (around 35,000 morning camps being run by the organization in various cities) to know the RSS instead of knowing it through the opinion of others.

Bhagwat said that he wants to increase the number of shakhas to 1 lakh in the next one year so that the Sangh's ideologies expand.

Students pursuing graduation, post-graduation and diploma courses

attended the three-day camp to learn the Sangh's ideology. During the meet, students were also seen singing the RSS prayer and talking to one another in Sanskrit.