On the occasion of the centenary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a three-day lecture series was organised at Vigyan Bhavan, Delhi. Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat was the keynote speaker. The event concluded on the third day with a Q&A session.
A total of 1,280 eminent personalities from different walks of society attended the programme. Nowhere—neither in Delhi nor elsewhere in the country—did any print or electronic media report that the Sarsanghchalak had made any comment regarding the upcoming elections in West Bengal. Even the staunchly anti-Sangh media made no such insinuation. Ironically, Anand Bazar Patrika, a widely circulated Kolkata based daily, concocted a fabricated tale and spewed venom in its editorial published on August 30, 2025.
A significant section of Kolkata’s Bengali media today is under the grip of Cultural Marxism. But the people of Bengal, who read these newspapers daily, already know their tendencies. To informed circles, this outburst is not surprising; what surprises them is the irrational tendency of unprovoked abuse and curse-mongering. A decade ago, these newspapers did not look this skeletal and hollow.
What Exactly Did Mohan Bhagwat Say?
“Read Rabindranath Tagore’s essay ‘Swadeshi Samaj’. There, he wrote that the awakening of society will not happen through politics. We need to create local leadership in our society. He used the word ‘Nayak’. One whose character is spotless, who maintains a constant bond with society, whom society trusts, who loves to live for his country and can even sacrifice his life for it—such ‘Nayaks’ are needed. This was said by Tagore.
In such a vast, diverse country, in every village and every lane, such heroes are essential. Through their lives, they will create an atmosphere in which society transforms. This is the kind of hero that needs to be nurtured. Rabindranath Tagore was very clear about this in ‘Swadeshi Samaj’.”
This was precisely what Dr Mohan Bhagwat had said.
How, in any way, does this have anything to do with the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal? On the centenary of his organisation, addressing eminent personalities from Bharat and abroad, could he possibly have meant only Bengal’s election while ignoring 27 other states and 8 union territories? Can any rational, educated individual really interpret his words this way? Yes, they can. Because of two motives: entrenched vested interests and Cultural Marxism.
The Mind Games
Swami Vivekananda and Rabindranath Tagore are impenetrable barriers for Cultural Marxism. On the other hand, the RSS venerates Tagore, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, and Swami Vivekananda as ideals of life. Every Swayamsevak recites the names of these luminaries daily in Pratah Smaran (morning prayers).
Questions were raised on whether Bhagwat had even read ‘Swadeshi Samaj’. The editor condescendingly advised Dr Bhagwat that an English translation is available, and he should read it if time permits from his “political engagements.” This is a tactic of Cultural Marxism.
‘Swadeshi Samaj’ is one of the compulsory readings for RSS swayamsevaks.
Tagore Revisited
Dr Manmohan Vaidya, Sah Sarkaryavah, once gathered professors of Bengal to review the English translations available at the time. They felt that many translations failed to capture Tagore’s true essence.
For example, Tagore did not use “Dharma” in the sense of Religion. In Bharatiya philosophy, “Dharma” means the intrinsic moral order of humanity, not religion or sectarian identity. To Rabindranath, ‘Dharma’ was ‘Manusher Dharma’, Humanity. However, in earlier translations of ‘Swadesh Samaj’ the word ‘Dharma’ had been
implied as religion.
Later, corrected translations were prepared in Hindi and English. Prof Abheri Mukhopadhyay of IIEST Shibpur produced a widely respected Bengali-to-English version and published it from Kolkata. The editorial has been composed following very common framework of Cultural Marxism, that is “Resist, Reject, Rebel.”
“The first and foremost duty is to preach Mohan Bhagwat”. In the said editorial RSS has been tagged as “Sectarian group dictated by Bhagwat.” Interestingly, they have clearly given the signal of rejection. The climax comes with the ultimate words of Rebel, “Tagore, in 1904, could not foresee the future of Swadeshi Samaj”.
The real rebellion lies here: declaring Tagore irrelevant today. For Cultural Marxists, “Destroy the old world, build a new world” remains the sole doctrine since Mao’s Cultural Revolution of 1966. The editorial claimed: “Their relation with other communities has made disputes pervasive across the nation.” This is a blatant lie.
Lies, Distortions, Violence
Have they not read the Sachar Committee Report? The idea that socio-economic upliftment of Muslims could be achieved by setting up madrasas and supporting underworld dons like Dawood Ibrahim was itself disproven in that very report.
Mohan Bhagwat has repeatedly said that the “common DNA” of Hindus and Muslims in Bharat is the same. For him, Bharatiya Muslims are never an “other society.”
In truth, those who wrote this editorial consider “the other society” to be democratic Bharat itself. The custodians of Cultural Marxism are, in fact, against Bharatiya democracy. As long as they are tolerating democracy, they will continue to support corrupt, opportunistic regional parties. Consider the telling line: “Within that programme, the rights over lathi, intimidation, and coercion belong chiefly to ‘Adhikary Mahashay’.” This is nothing but a clear admission of surrender to a section of the political forces by democracy’s fourth pillar.
In the 2021 West Bengal assembly elections, 62 opposition workers were killed. Nowhere else in recent Bharatiya history has such post-poll violence occurred at this scale. Murder cases under IPC 302 could not be erased even under political pressure.
From May 2, 2021, when election results were declared, until May 10, Bengal witnessed a series of killings, rapes, and loot, accompanied by the slogan “Khela Hobe”. Who had been defeated by this ‘Adhikari Mahashay’ with the help of common people’s vote, has been established from the tiniest hidden corner.
The editorial role of this newspaper during those days will be remembered in history as an endorsement of barbarism—because on that day, Bharatiya democracy was defeated.
Similarly, during Bangladesh’s so-called anti-quota protests, as Islamist fundamentalism rose and democracy was strangled, this very editorial board glorified the movement. Today, Bangladesh has erased the memory of its Bhasha Andolan, and even Tagore is being sidelined.
All conscientious Bengalis must now rise in protest against this destructive trio. In the process of hurling abuse at the Sangh, these forces have revealed their true fangs. If Bengalis do not resist and comprehensively reject them today, then as per their plan, Swadeshi Samaj will be erased from Bengal, and Rabindranath will be made irrelevant.
