India’s influential Hindu nationalist group, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has begun reaching out beyond its borders, seeking to reshape how it is viewed abroad. Its leaders say the effort aims to challenge accusations that the organisation promotes intolerance against minority communities, according to Reuters.
RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said he has recently spoken at gatherings in the United States, Germany, and Britain, meeting academics, policymakers, and business leaders. More visits are planned across Europe and Southeast Asia. His goal, he explained, is to “dispel misconceptions” about the group.
The outreach comes months after a report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom accused the RSS of long-standing involvement in violence and discrimination against minorities. The commission, a bipartisan advisory body, monitors religious freedom worldwide and makes recommendations to the US government.
Founded in 1925, the RSS describes itself as a cultural organisation devoted to strengthening Hindu society and national identity. However, critics, including opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, argue that its ideology deepens divisions in India’s officially secular system and sidelines minority communities.
The group’s history has long been controversial. It has been banned several times, including after a former member was linked to the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948. Despite this, the RSS has grown into a powerful network, widely seen as the backbone of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Hosabale rejected claims that the RSS is a paramilitary force or promotes Hindu supremacy. “The reality is entirely different,” he said, adding that one of the group’s goals is to address caste discrimination within Hindu society.
Under Modi, key long-standing demands of the RSS have been realised, including the construction of a temple on a disputed religious site and the removal of special status from Jammu and Kashmir.
Still, political tensions remain. In the 2024 election, concerns among disadvantaged caste groups helped weaken the BJP’s hold on power, forcing it to depend on coalition partners.
