On Vijayadashami 2017 (30 September 2017), Mohan Bhagwat gave the annual address at the gathering in Reshimbagh, Nagpur, where the chief guest was Baba Nirmal Das (message read). This page summarises what was reported about it.
The day
- Date: 30 September 2017
- Place: Reshimbagh, Nagpur
- Address by: Mohan Bhagwat
- Chief guest: Baba Nirmal Das (Sri Guru Ravidas Sadhusant Society, Jalandhar) - absent through ill health; his message was read out
What the address covered
Bhagwat defended cow protection, saying cow protectors had themselves been attacked and killed and that it was unfair to link them with violence or communal feeling. He told volunteers not to be swayed by statements from senior government figures or Supreme Court remarks on vigilantism, while asking the government to punish criminals and protect the innocent, IBTimes reported. He described Rohingya refugees as a security concern. He called for development in Jammu, the Kashmir Valley and Ladakh, the return of Kashmiri migrants, and constitutional changes to integrate the state. He praised the government's handling of the Doklam standoff and called for an indigenous economic model that protects small businesses.
As reported
It is unfair to link cow protectors or the entire activity of cow protection with violent incidences or communal feelings
Context
An Asian Age editorial (1 Oct 2017) criticised the speech for appearing to embolden cow-vigilante groups and to brush aside government and Supreme Court warnings.
How sure is this?
This account is supported by two or more independent sources, listed below.
In the archive
Sources & copyright status
- IBTimes India, 'Peaceful cow protectors are being killed, says RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat' (30 Sep 2017)
- Organiser, 'RSS Vijayadashami 2017: Call for Constructive Power' (3 Oct 2017)
- The Asian Age (editorial), 'RSS defence of vigilantes surprising' (1 Oct 2017)
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