'Gadkari not appointed by RSS'

Its a coincidence that he is from Nagpur, says Bhagwat

“Just because Gadkari hails from Nagpur, where RSS headquarters is situated, he cannot be said be an RSS appointee .... his being from Nagpur is just a coincidence,” Bhagwat said while speaking at a meeting of RSS workers here.

“We are not into active politics nor do we try to put individuals into important posts though we are in the politics of nationalism and Hindutva,” he said. Bhagwat said  the RSS had in the past been subjected to all kinds of  “wrong interpretations about its open and hidden agenda. There is nothing hidden in the organisation,” he remarked.

“We are involved in the politics of nationalism, of uniting the country,  and there is nothing to feel ashamed in doing so,” Bhagwat, who visibly appeared to be upset with the recent media reports about the RSS hand in the appointment of BJP office-bearers, said.

Though Bhagwat admitted that a number of RSS workers had entered politics, he went on to add that joining politics was an individual’s personal decision and had nothing to do with the RSS.

He asked the people join the RSS to know about the organisation. “If people join the organisation for a year or six months they will come to know about RSS... they will not have any misconceptions about Sangh,” he said.

Bhagwat expressed concern over the prevailing political scenario in the country and said that people “enter into politics only to grab power.”  He rued that the political leadership, instead of trying to unite the country, take recourse to issues related to caste, creed and religion only to incite passion.

The RSS chief also called for adopting the philosophy of Hindutva rather than castes. Hindutva has answers to many of the prevailing social ills, he added.