Abbreviation | RSS |
---|---|
Formation | 27 September 1925 |
Founder | K. B. Hedgewar |
Type | Non-profit political organisation |
Legal status | Active |
Purpose | Promotion of Hindu nationalism and Hindutva[2][3] |
Headquarters | Dr. Hedgewar Bhawan, Sangh Building Road, Nagpur, Maharashtra – 440 032, India |
Coordinates | 21°08′46″N 79°06′40″E / 21.146°N 79.111°E |
Area served | India |
Membership | |
Sarsanghchalak (Chief) | Mohan Bhagwat |
Sarkaryawah (General Secretary) | Dattatreya Hosabale |
Affiliations | Sangh Parivar |
Website | rss |
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS, Rāṣṭrīya Svayaṃsevak Saṅgh, Hindi pronunciation: [raːʂˈʈriːj(ə) swəjəmˈseːʋək səŋɡʱ],ⓘ, lit. 'National Volunteer Union' or 'National Volunteer Corps')[8] is an Indian right-wing,[9][10] Hindu nationalist[11][12] volunteer[13] paramilitary organisation.[14] It is the progenitor and leader of a large body of organisations called the Sangh Parivar (Hindi for "Sangh family"), which has developed a presence in all facets of Indian society and includes the Bharatiya Janata Party, the ruling political party under Narendra Modi, the 14th prime minister of India.[9] Mohan Bhagwat has served as the Sarsanghchalak of the RSS since March 2009[update].[15]
Founded on 27 September 1925,[16] the initial impetus of the organisation was to provide character training and instil "Hindu discipline" in order to unite the Hindu community and establish a Hindu Rashtra (Hindu nation).[17][18] The organisation aims to spread the ideology of Hindutva to "strengthen" the Hindu community and promotes an ideal of upholding an Indian culture and its civilizational values.[3][19] On the other hand, the RSS has been described as "founded on the premise of Hindu supremacy",[20] and has been accused of an intolerance of minorities, in particular anti-Muslim activities.[21]
During the colonial period, the RSS collaborated with the British Raj and played no role in the Indian independence movement.[22][23] After independence, it grew into an influential Hindu nationalist umbrella organisation, spawning several affiliated organisations that established numerous schools, charities, and clubs to spread its ideological beliefs.[18] It was banned in 1947 for four days,[18] and then thrice by the post-independence Indian government, first in 1948 when Nathuram Godse,[24] a member of RSS,[25] assassinated Mahatma Gandhi;[18][26][27] then during the Emergency (1975–1977); and for a third time after the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992. In the 21st century, it is the world's largest far-right organisation by membership.[10] The RSS has been criticised as an extremist organisation and there is a scholarly consensus that it spreads hatred and promotes violence.[28][29][30]
(Hindi: "National Volunteer Organisation") also called Rashtriya Seva Sangh
A couple of years later, India was ruled by the Janata coalition, which consisted also of Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), the then-political arm of the extreme right-wing Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS – National Volunteers Organisation).
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the paramilitary organization which advocates a militant Hinduism and a Hindu polity in modern India, not only played no role in the anti-colonial struggle but actively collaborated with the British.
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