Hindutva is not against anyone, its inclusive: Vice President

Radhakrishnan has a long association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

New Delhi: Hindutva is about taking everyone along while preserving their individual rights and cannot be against anyone, Vice President CP Radhakrishnan said on Thursday, September 24.

The vice president made the comments while addressing an event here to launch a book titled “Vishwasnchar Hindutva Ka”.

Hindutva cannot be against anyone. We want to take everybody together, but everybody should have their own rights that should be preserved. I should not be over-ambitious so that I can encroach on the rights of somebody. That is not Hindutva. That is not Dharma also,” he said.

Radhakrishnan also underlined that Hindutva has had different meanings in different historical and intellectual contexts.

“It has been interpreted differently by political thinkers, scholars, organisers and critics. Therefore, a serious engagement with the subject requires examining its historical development, its philosophical dimensions and the different interpretations surrounding it,” he said.

Recalling his long association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the vice president said that the organisation was established to revive “our great culture based on the great thinking of Hindutva”.

“It was through this very lens that Keshav Baliram Hedgewar ji understood the bond between Hindutva and the sangh. The centenary (RSS) provides an association to reflect upon the history, ideas and working methods associated with an organisation that has evolved over a very long period,” he said.

“…We differ, but we unite. Cultural Hindutva represents a union of elements such as core values, cultural life ideals, genuine human relationship and universal well-being. We are always thinking that we say Hindutva means that we are against others. It is not so,” the vice president added.

He observed that the working methodology of the RSS has stood the test of time, enabling it to establish itself as a significant organisation with a presence across diverse areas of social life.

Drawing an analogy with the Ganga, the vice president said the river begins as a small stream in the Himalayas and, as it grows and reaches the Bay of Bengal, becomes capable of carrying even large ships.

He said the journey of the RSS could similarly be seen as one of remarkable expansion.

“The sangh started with a few people as a small organisation. Today, it has become a global organisation and spread across the country, with its swayamsevaks contributing to different spheres of national and social life,” he said.

Radhakrishnan said Yoga, which originated as an ancient Indian discipline, has become a global practice, demonstrating how an Indian tradition can travel beyond its geographical and cultural origins and become part of a wider global conversation.

The vice president said the term “Vishwasanchar” evokes the movement and communication of ideas across the world. He said the book invites readers to examine how elements of India’s cultural heritage have travelled, interacted with other societies and acquired new forms and meanings.

He called upon young people to read, question, investigate and understand India’s rich heritage while remaining conscious of the constitutional values and democratic institutions that shape the present.

“A civilisation thrives and grows when it has the confidence to engage with change while retaining its roots in its foundational values, culture and ethos,” he said.