Opposition slams Modi for ‘falsifying history’ with RSS centenary stamp, coin
New Delhi: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sparked controversy as he released a postage stamp and a Rs 100 commemorative coin to mark the centenary of the Hindutva organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
According to Kashmir Media Service, the opposition, however, rejected the release of stamp and coin, accusing Modi of glorifying an organisation known for its sectarian agenda.
At a grand event in Delhi, Modi unveiled the coin and stamp, declaring that for the “first time in independent India’s history, the image of Bharat Mata has been featured on Indian currency — a moment of great pride.” The coin depicts “Bharat Mata” alongside RSS workers bowing in uniform, while the stamp portrays RSS volunteers at the 1963 Republic Day parade.
“The Sangh has fought against British atrocities. Its leaders like K.B. Hedgewar actively participated in the independence movement and went to jail. The Sangh’s motto has always been ‘Nation First’,” Modi said, adding that the organisation had made “countless sacrifices” even while facing conspiracies and bans after independence.
However, opposition parties hit back sharply.
The Congress said the RSS had never gone to jail during the independence struggle, charging that “at the height of the Quit India Movement of 1942, when the whole country was filling prisons, the RSS was helping the British suppress the movement.” It added that the organisation had “divided Hindus and Muslims, helped split the country, and carried the bloodstains of Gandhi’s assassination.”
The Communist Party of India-Marxist described the commemorative items as an “insult to the Constitution,” arguing that featuring “Bharat Mata” on official coinage “promotes the RSS’s sectarian idea of a Hindu Rashtra.” It said Modi was trying to “whitewash the shameful role of the RSS, which actually strengthened the colonial policy of divide and rule.”
Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh also pointed to historical evidence of the Sangh’s collaboration with the British. “During World War II, RSS leaders encouraged Indians to join the colonial army. The truth is the Sangh supported British rule while real freedom fighters sacrificed their lives.”
Opposition leaders warned that Modi’s moves were part of a larger project to “rewrite history” and rehabilitate the RSS, which critics describe as a divisive force that had little to do with India’s independence and everything to do with pushing Hindutva ideology.
