RSS growing, but good people becoming scarce: BJP's Kailash Vijayvargiya

Speaking at an event in Bhopal, he said many government officials now claim links to the Sangh after the BJP came to power, and stressed that the organisation's ideology has little meaning without people of strong character.

In Short

• At a Bhopal event, Vijayvargiya described officials citing Sangh links frequently
• He said many invoked shakha memories, uniforms and family connections
• Some officers, he added, claimed their fathers once led local shakhas

Madhya Pradesh minister Kailash Vijayvargiya has said that since the BJP came to power, almost every government officer and employee now tries to project themselves as being associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), while stressing that the organisation should focus on nurturing "good human beings" rather than merely expanding its numbers.

Addressing a programme in Bhopal, Vijayvargiya said officials frequently tell him about their or their families' association with the RSS whenever they meet him.

"We are in government now, and every officer who comes to me says, 'Sir, when I was posted in Shajapur, I used to attend the shakha run by Makhan Singh.' Every officer who comes says, 'I have also worn the belt, tied the band and worn the shorts.' After our government came to power, everyone became associated with the Sangh. Every officer became a Sangh man," he said.

The senior BJP leader added that some officials even claimed their fathers had held positions in the organisation. "One officer told me his father used to attend the shakha. Another said his father was the head of a shakha. There is a huge crowd now, and everyone has their own way of claiming an association," he said.

Vijayvargiya, however, said the growing numbers should not come at the cost of values. "Today, there are crowds everywhere, but there is a scarcity of good human beings. The organisation is growing and, one may say, the ideology is also expanding. But if there are no good human beings, what is the significance of that ideology? This is something we need to reflect upon," he said.

His remarks come amid a political exchange over the RSS as it marks 100 years of its existence. Karnataka minister and senior Congress leader Priyank Kharge recently wrote an open letter to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat seeking details on the organisation's legal status, finances, office-bearers and constitutional accountability.

Bhagwat dismissed the demand, describing it as a "political gimmick" and saying he saw no need to respond.

- Ends
With ANI inputs