On October 1, 2025, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) marked its centenary with a grand ceremony in New Delhi, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During the event, Modi lauded the RSS for its “sacrifice, selfless service, nation-building, and discipline,” and unveiled a commemorative ₹100 coin and a special postage stamp to honor the organization’s contributions to the nation.
However, the Congress party swiftly contested these assertions, questioning the RSS’s involvement in India’s independence movement. Congress spokespersons highlighted that the RSS did not participate in the freedom struggle and accused its ideologue, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, of maintaining “friendly relations” with the British colonial rulers.
The Congress further criticized the RSS for invoking Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy, labeling it an “ideological defeat” given the organization’s historical opposition to Gandhi’s principles. Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee chief Harshavardhan Sapkal remarked that the RSS’s current reverence for Gandhi signaled a collapse in ideological consistency.
In response to Modi’s claims that RSS members were imprisoned during the freedom struggle, Congress dismissed these assertions as false, stating that RSS leaders aided the British in suppressing the Quit India movement.
The centenary celebrations have thus ignited a renewed debate over the RSS’s historical role and its current influence in Indian politics. While the RSS and its supporters celebrate its contributions to nation-building, the Congress party continues to challenge its legacy, particularly concerning its involvement in the independence movement.
As the nation reflects on the centenary of the RSS, the discourse surrounding its historical actions and ideological stance remains a contentious issue in Indian political dialogue.
