On Vijayadashami 2020 (25 October 2020), Mohan Bhagwat gave the annual address at the gathering in Nagpur. This page summarises what was reported about it.
The day
- Date: 25 October 2020
- Place: Nagpur (indoor event)
- Address by: Mohan Bhagwat
What the address covered
Because of COVID-19 rules, the event was held indoors with about 50 swayamsevaks. Bhagwat said China had encroached on India's borders during the pandemic, that India's response had unsettled Beijing, and that India must grow stronger than China militarily, economically and diplomatically and build closer ties with neighbours such as Nepal and Sri Lanka. He said the Citizenship (Amendment) Act did not target any religious community, that Muslims had been misled about it, and that 'opportunists' had used it to stir organised violence before the pandemic halted the protests. He praised health workers, called India a 'Hindu Rashtra', and listed the revocation of Article 370 and the Ayodhya verdict and temple ground-breaking as notable events.
As reported
Using CAA, opportunists unleashed organised violence in the name of protests.
India needs to grow bigger in power and scope than china
Context
The Wire, citing The Telegraph, reported that the RSS's tweeted text softened his line that China had encroached ('atikraman kiya') to 'attempted to encroach'. Rahul Gandhi cited the original remark to accuse the government of misleading the public on Chinese intrusion.
How sure is this?
This account is supported by two or more independent sources, listed below.
In the archive
Sources & copyright status
- The Tribune, 'India should be bigger than China in power and scope: Bhagwat' (25 Oct 2020)
- Scroll.in, 'RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat says opportunists unleashed organised violence in name of CAA protests' (25 Oct 2020)
- The Wire, 'After Mohan Bhagwat Contradicts Modi's Stand on China, RSS Censors Speech' (Oct 2020)
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