NAGPUR: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat on Tuesday said attempts were being made to bring about a regime change in India. He claimed they had been countered through firm leadership and the collective strength of society. He was addressing the RSS annual Vijayadashami event in Nagpur.
Bhagwat said forces seeking to weaken the country were drawing support from what he called ambitious political leaders. He said such attempts were driven by self-interest and did not necessarily resolve a country's problems.
He cited recent unrest in France, Albania, Nepal and Bangladesh. Bhagwat argued that regime change was often presented as a solution without addressing the underlying issues.
"They say that regime change will change the situation, but it has never happened before, and it is not happening today," Bhagwat said. He said a wave of unrest was sweeping in from the West.
"Look at what is happening in France and what happened in Nepal. Regime change is often presented as the solution, but changing a regime does not necessarily change the underlying circumstances," he said. He added that similar attempts in India had been countered under firm leadership.
Bhagwat claimed that some global powers were uncomfortable with India's growing influence and wanted to prevent it from becoming stronger. He said these forces found ambitious political leaders willing to support their agendas.
The RSS chief said protests were a natural response to problems in a democratic society. He argued that they should focus on finding solutions rather than creating divisions and hostility.
"Every developing nation faces challenges, but protests should aim to find solutions, not merely change regimes. Problems persist, and agitations happen. But agitations should aim at solutions. It should not lead to ill-will in society," he said.
His remarks came during a political dispute over protests against the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and demands for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The debate sharpened after Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan said the protests had become "really a fight for regime change". Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju then alleged that anti-India groups and some politicians had plotted to incite street violence, comparing the situation to unrest in Bangladesh and France.
The BJP has cited these remarks to accuse Opposition leaders and activists of trying to destabilise the government through street protests. Opposition figures have rejected the comparisons with violent upheavals abroad, saying their demands concern electoral integrity and democratic rights.