Not right to view RSS through BJP activities: Bhagwat

Bhopal: Seeking to clear what he claimed to be a lot of misunderstandings and misconceptions surrounding the organisation, Rashtritya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said, "If you try to understand the RSS through the activities of the BJP, then it will be difficult".Addressing a select group of intellectual audience at the Ravindra Bhavan auditorium here, the Sangh chief said, "Our work is different, and the procedure, too, is different. You also cannot understand the RSS by looking at the Vishwa Hindu Parishad or Vidya Bharti."
Elaborating on the Sangh's core functionality, Bhagwat said it works towards organising the entire Hindu society, raising volunteers and dedicating them to the service of the motherland and shaping the country's future. He said the organisation's focus was to keep "India as Bharat" and take it to greater heights."The Sangh has completed 100 years since inception, but the journey hasn't been easy," Bhagwat said, arguing that no other voluntary organisation has faced as much oppression, opposition and protest as the RSS. "Our volunteers have been attacked, harassed, and even murdered," the Sarsangchalak said, adding, "Yet, despite all that came their way, they did not retreat into inactivity and silence. Rather, they kept themselves engaged in what we regard as divine work. Our volunteers get nothing in return for all their efforts, and, in fact, lose everything they have along the way."Bhagwat said the organisation is run on ‘guru-dakshina' (voluntary contributions) collected from volunteers, adding that the funds are not raised through charity or donations but whatever they save and set aside from their own expenses."They never ask for funds but cut back from their day-to-day expenses to save money. Some of our swayamsevaks do not even sip tea throughout the year, as they deposit the cost they would have incurred, otherwise, as funds for the organisation. In the beginning, the organisation was small and hence, our functionaries travelled on bicycles and even went hungry for days. Today, the organisation has grown bigger, bringing with it the culture of ‘guru-dakshina'. But even now, we face shortage of funds from March to July," Bhagwat said. Claiming few expected the RSS to cross the 100-year milestone, the Sangh chief said, "Everyone around the world now knows about the RSS. But most don't know much about what we do. We parade in uniforms and do physical exercise, prompting some narratives claiming the Sangh to be a paramilitary force. The RSS runs 1.25 lakh social services seeking any donations. Not everything written about the Sangh, even on Wikipedia, is right.""Even into its centenary year, the Sangh must keep working to reach every house," Bhagwat said.