The RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat (left) and Narendra Modi’s close confidante Amit Shah (right) releasing a book on Modi’s life in 2017. The RSS leadership has been uncomfortable with Modi outgrowing its control since he became India’s prime minister in 2014.
The RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat (left) and Narendra Modi’s close confidante Amit Shah (right) releasing a book on Modi’s life in 2017. The RSS leadership has been uncomfortable with Modi outgrowing its control since he became India’s prime minister in 2014.IMAGO/Hindustan Times

Modi’s tussle with the RSS echoes old power struggles within India’s Hindu Right

The BJP’s reduced seat count after the 2024 election prompted rare public criticism from the RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, offering a glimpse into the recurring power struggle between the two organisations
Published on

On 5 September, Mohan Bhagwat, the head of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), said at an event in Pune, “If one has to rise to such a height, one should make efforts. We should not consider ourselves as god. Let people decide if there is god in you.”

The Hindu nationalist RSS is the ideological parent of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and was the first political home of the Indian prime minister, the BJP’s Narendra Modi. Bhagwat’s remark was perceived as a dig at Modi; during his campaign for the Indian general election earlier this year, Modi told a television channel that he had become convinced that his energy cannot come from a biological body and that he was an instrument of god.

Loading content, please wait...
Himal Southasian
www.himalmag.com