On the occasion of Independence Day 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech drew a lot of debate following his praises for Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) whose journey of 100 years, he said, was “very proud and glorious.”
The remarks attracted sharp criticism from opposition leaders including Asaduddin Owaisi, Congress and CPI(M), who contended that honoring the RSS from the historic ramparts of the nation politicized a national occasion and insulted the memory of freedom fighters.
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Opposition Will Not Let It Pass
Asaduddin Owaisi condemned praising RSS as “an insult to the freedom struggle,” saying that historically the organization has been more aligned with the interests of the colonialists than the struggle for independence. He argued that the ideology of Hindutva is in conflict with the values of the Constitution. His question was why Modi had to use the Red Fort to laud the RSS rather than do that privately at Nagpur, which is the headquarters of the RSS.
Equally concerned were the leaders from Congress Jairam Ramesh labelled the speech as “a breach of the spirit of a secular republic” and termed this as a tactical move to please the RSS ahead of Modi’s birthday celebrations.
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Also, Congress MP Manickam Tagore went on to further assert that RSS’s legacy, if anything, was to create divisions instead of fighting against colonial rule, and condemned the Prime Minister for glorifying it over real freedom fighters.
CPI(M) leader MA Baby lashed out at the Prime Minister for praising an organization beset with controversy in its historical record, claiming that RSS has worked against national unity along religious lines on many occasions.
PM Modi’s View on RSS
Modi, during his Independence Day speech, stated that nation-building is a collective effort by not only the government but also citizens and organization’s he appreciated RSS for a century of service in the direction of character-building, nation-building, and devotedness to the motherland.
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He called the RSS “the world’s biggest NGO” and went on to praise its disciplined participation and commitment, as well as the efficiency of its organizational structure, claiming that its activists have played an important role in shaping society over the last 100 years.
An Extended Debate
The remarks made by the Prime Minister during his address represent an unusual occasion when detailed praises were pronounced for RSS during an Independence Day address. The centenary year of the organization has had nationwide celebrations, intensifying the more extensive discussions about its place in India’s sociopolitical landscape.
While Modi framed his comments as the service and commitment deserved acknowledgment, his critics claim that linking a national Unity symbol such as the Red Fort to a partisan one would only serve to politicized it.
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