RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on February 20 said people should desist from using the word “nationalism” as it has connotations of “Hitler and Nazism”.

“Do not use the word ‘nationalism’. Use ‘national’, ‘nationality’, ‘nation’. The meaning of ‘nationalism’ is Hitler, Nazism and Fascism. The aim of the Sangh is to boost the feeling of patriotism and feeling of Hinduism,” said Mr. Bhagwat at an RSS programme in Ranchi. He is in Ranchi for a five-day RSS event.

Mr. Bhagwat’s remark came amid continued protests in several towns and cities of the country against the new citizenship law and probable pan-India NRC, moves branded by those opposing them as a reflection of “Hindutva nationalism” that is detrimental to Muslims.

Addressing the ‘Metropolitan Meeting’ organised by the RSS in Jharkhand’s capital, Mr. Bhagwat recalled how a Sangh volunteer in U.K. advised him against using the word.

 “I was on a visit to the U.K. A karyakrata advised me not to used the word nationalism as English is not our language and it could have a different meaning in England. It’s okay to say nation, national and nationality but not nationalism. Because it means [alludes to] Hitler, Nazism and Fascism [in England],” he said on Thursday.

'Only India has solution to tackle radicalism'

He said problems such as radicalism and climate change were disturbing the peace all over the world and the solution was with India alone as it had the experience to think holistically and address such issues. “And the world waits for India. So, India has to become a great nation,” he said.

“Problems of radicalism, environment and the belief that one is right while the rest are wrong are the basic issues disturbing the peace in the world,” he said.

Only India has got the experience to think holistically to find solutions to these problems, Mr. Bhagwat added. “And the world waits for India, so India has to become a great nation.”

‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’

The RSS chief said different countries had different languages, religions and models of economic development and someone not accepting those cannot be its national. “You can be [their] guest, host, minority, anything, even enemy, but not its national,” he said without elaborating.

Calling upon RSS members to connect with people irrespective of their caste, language, religion or region, Mr. Bhagwat said that India’s characteristic is to fasten everyone with one thread on the principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is a family).

“We live for each other, not for ourselves,” he said.

“We believe that the world has made us and we have to give back to it and we look at the world with gratitude,” Mr. Bhagwat said.

Sharing an anecdote, Mr. Bhagwat said a Muslim intellectual from the country once went for Haj and was sent to jail on blasphemy charges for wearing a ‘locket’.

“The then foreign minister Sushma Swaraj intervened and got him released within eight days,” he said, alluding that anyone from India is considered a Hindu.

“Because Bharatiya sanskriti [Indian culture] is also known as Hindu sanskriti, reflecting its values, ethos and culture,” he said.

He invoked Yudhishthir, the Pandava prince of epic ‘Mahabharat’, to say India does not believe in subjugating other countries. “Its policy is we will neither enslave anybody, nor will be slaves ourselves,” he said.

Mr. Bhagwat said Hindutva idealogue K.B. Hedgewar was involved in every movement including social reforms during the freedom struggle and founded the RSS so that social evils that had prevailed for over 1,500 years (‘of foreign rule’) could be rooted out and long-lasting values such as selflessness, non-discrimination and equality are established.