Whenever Mohan Bhagwat, the Sarsanghchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), talks about Hinduism or a Hindu nation, opposition parties—especially the Left and their ecosystem—tend to react strongly. They start the advocacy of separating religion from politics. In a similar manner, whenever Prime Minister Modi speaks about Hinduism or highlights symbols of Hindu or Sanatan Dharma, leaders of the Congress and other opposition parties begin portraying it as a mixing of religion and politics. They start quoting the Constitution and its articles, and passionately set about citing examples from other countries.
As far as I can recall, a few years ago when Barack Obama was the President of the United States, a report had come out that spoke about religious intolerance in India. Now, however, winds of change are visible even in the U.S., where Christianity and its protection are being openly and extensively discussed.
In recent days, when a woman named Jenny, wearing Charlie Kirk’s “Freedom” T-shirt, was publicly harassed in the United States, a wave of support for her swept across the country. Within no time, more than 250,000 dollars were raised through crowdfunding in her support. She was felicitated on the stage of America Fest. Charlie Kirk was a right-wing political activist in the U.S. who consistently spoke out on the traditions of American society. He was assassinated earlier this year. In America, Charlie Kirk was regarded as a traditionalist and shared close ties with President Trump.
Christmas has just passed. Ahead of Christmas, a statement by Kamala Harris in the United States went viral. At a U.S. presidential election rally, Kamala was heard saying, “How dare you wish Christmas.” For nearly 15 days, this video of Kamala Harris was repeatedly circulated and used to criticize her. It appeared that the intent was to portray Kamala Harris and her party as anti-religion. This impression was further reinforced when, on the occasion of Christmas, the White House posted on X, “We are saying Merry Christmas again.” The post featured a photo of a Christmas tree along with the American flag. In front of the Christmas tree was a photograph of Donald Trump, and his official handle was tagged. This post was widely seen as a message directed at Kamala Harris.
Not only that, the post made by Donald Trump himself from his X handle was even more pointed: “Merry Christmas to everyone.”- “Even to those despicable Radical Left elements who are involved in every possible attempt to destroy America but are failing miserably. Our borders are no longer open, men are not in women’s clothing, and law-enforcement agencies are no longer weak. Our stock market is at record levels. There is no inflation. Just yesterday, our GDP stood at 4.3, two points higher than expected. Tariffs have brought in trillions of dollars, making us prosperous. Our national security is at its highest level. Our respect across the world has increased. God! Keep Your blessings on America.”
This post by Trump on X is entirely political and is written with Christmas and God at its center. Just imagine the kind of uproar that would erupt in our country if Prime Minister Modi or the President were to make a similar post.
Much more is happening in the United States in the name of religion. On December 26, the White House released a statement by President Trump stating that, tonight, on his orders as Commander-in-Chief, the United States carried out a full-scale, decisive strike against the despicable terrorists of ISIS. These are the same terrorists who, for several days, had been attacking and killing innocent Christians. This message makes it clear that if Christians are attacked anywhere in the world, the United States will intervene decisively.
There is a background to this. On November 2, Trump had warned the Nigerian government that if it failed to stop Islamic terrorists from killing the Christian population, all kinds of sanctions would be imposed. He had instructed the military to remain prepared for combat. If the Nigerian government did not stop the killing of innocent and defenseless Christians in its country, the attackers would be struck back with even greater speed than that with which terrorist acts are carried out. This was the same period when members of the Christian community had demanded that Trump intervene to stop the killing of Christians in Nigeria.
If this American step is viewed at the diplomatic level, then in a situation like the attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, India too acquires the right to protect Hindus.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, in its centenary year, is talking about Kutumb Prabodhan—strengthening families and emphasizing the importance of the family unit. Efforts are underway to bring families together and highlight their value. This initiative is causing discomfort among those opposed to the RSS. Some are calling it contrary to modern thinking. They bring in the Constitution while talking about individual rights and the freedom to live life as one chooses. However, the Constitution is in no way opposed to the family.
A few days ago, Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat advised Hindu couples to have three children. This sparked a major controversy. Political analysts who consider and project themselves as progressive strongly criticized him. Many arguments were put forward, even though Mohan Bhagwat had said, based on expert opinion, that communities with birth rates below three eventually decline.
Those who boast of being progressive and modern should look at the United States. There, there is strong and open discussion about the importance of family, marriage, and children. Elon Musk and U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance are often seen in the Oval Office with their children and speak proudly about family. When Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt becomes pregnant, it is publicly announced. The noise around live-in relationships and LGBTQ issues has reduced. There is now a clear conversation about returning to one’s roots.
If the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh expects Hindus to have three children, it is neither outdated thinking nor anti-modern. Globally, there is a growing call to reconnect with traditions and religion. Those who fail to understand this shift are being pushed to the margins.
Anant Vijay, currently with the largest Hindi Daily Dainik Jagran, is a senior journalist, columnist and author with more than two and half decades of journalistic experience. He got the National Award, Swarna Kamal for best writing on Cinema.
Disclaimer: The views are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of FPJ.
