Words and rhetoric aren’t enough, what’s delivered is all that counts: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat

Mumbai: In an oblique reference to PM Narendra Modi’s rallies, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said in Nagpur on Monday that words and rhetoric aren’t always enough, but what’s delivered to its citizens is all that counts. Borrowing from Hindu mythology, Bhagwat said, “The king may impress his subjects with grand speeches and rhetoric, but that’s not enough for the commoners. What they need is good governance that Lord Ram provided.”

Bhagwat was speaking before thousands of Sangh volunteers at a day-long convention organised by the RSS and VHP in Aurangabad. The convention focused primarily on how to recruit non-Brahmin volunteers into the Sangh so that RSS can reach out to the rural masses. The event — Devgiri Mahasangam — designed to attract rural youth into the RSS fold was planned over the past two months and received registration from 60,000 young residents of Marathwada and Khandesh regions.

Bhagwat and VHP president Praveen Togadia were the chief guests at the convention which included a series of group discussions, meetings, seminars and a rally. “This year’s convention is a big success. This is an exercise that the RSS and VHP take up occasionally. This year the scale was bigger. The purpose is to unite all our members and encourage youngsters to join us.

We will be holding similar events in other parts of the country too,” VHP central secretary Vyankatesh Abdeo told ET. A senior RSS pracharak said that the focus this time was clearly on getting non-Brahmin members into RSS. “It was felt that Sangh should reach out to the rural masses, especially the OBC and Maratha youth.

Our attempt is to bring them into the fold. We do not discriminate on the basis of caste, and all will have an equal opportunity once they are party of the Sangh,” the pracharak said.