Historical Evidence Contradicts Modi’s Claims About the RSS’s Role in the Freedom Struggle

 

Historical Evidence Contradicts Modi’s Claims About the RSS’s Role in the Freedom Struggle

Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the RSS's role in the freedom struggle during the centenary celebrations of the organisation. However, historical evidence indicates that the RSS neither participated in the freedom movement in an organised manner nor confronted the British.

New Delhi: During the centenary celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) held at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre in Delhi on Wednesday (October 1), Prime Minister Narendra Modi commended the RSS’s contribution to the freedom movement.

Modi said, “Numerous activists, including Dr Hedgewar, took part in the freedom struggle and were imprisoned multiple times,” adding that, “many volunteers endured severe atrocities at the hands of the British during the 1942 movement in Chimur.”

This is not a new claim. On March 18, 1999, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, while unveiling a commemorative postage stamp on the occasion of Hedgewar’s 110th birth anniversary, referred to him as a “remarkable freedom fighter and patriot,” asserting that he had not received the recognition he deserved in the narrative of the Indian freedom struggle.

However, contrary to these political assertions, a large section of historians and researchers have insisted that the RSS’s actual role in the freedom movement was characterised not by support, but by opposition and disruption.

Historian refutes PM Modi’s claims

Shamsul Islam, a distinguished historian and former professor at Delhi University, has firmly countered the assertions made by Prime Minister Modi.

“The RSS never actually participated in the anti-imperialist struggle of the Indian populace,” he said.

Islam argues that since its inception in 1925, the RSS has sought to establish itself as a Hindu nationalist entity, actively working against the Indian people’s anti-imperialist efforts against British colonial rule, similar to the actions of the Muslim League.

Hedgewar’s First Incarceration: Congressman or RSS Leader?

The truth about Hedgewar, the “freedom fighter” lauded by Prime Minister Modi and previously by Vajpayee, is somewhat different.

As per Islam, Hedgewar’s contributions were rendered as a Congress worker, rather than as an RSS leader.

It is stated in Hedgewar’s biography (Seeds of the Sangh Tree – Dr. Keshavrao Hedgewar) that he was first jailed for delivering inflammatory speeches in favour of the Khilafat Movement of 1920-21, prior to the establishment of the RSS. He was sentenced to one year of rigorous imprisonment.

This biography of Hedgewar is regarded as a credible source because it was authored by Chandrashekhar Parmanand Bhishikar, the former editor-in-chief of the RSS-affiliated newspaper Tarun Bharat. Bhishikar was also a lifelong volunteer who later became a pracharak. Originally published in Marathi, the Hindi translation of this biography includes a preface by Kuppalli Sitaramayya Sudarshan, who served as the RSS’s fifth Sarsanghchalak.

Mahatma Gandhi and the Congress had instructed people to refrain from hiring a lawyer if they were arrested for participating in the Khilafat Movement. Nevertheless, Hedgewar openly violated this directive by engaging a lawyer. The RSS, however, contends that Hedgewar’s actions were deliberate because he aimed to utilise the court’s platform to disseminate patriotic ideas.

The Salt Satyagraha of 1930: The hidden objective

Hedgewar’s second imprisonment took place during the Salt Satyagraha of 1930. However, the narrative surrounding this event is equally intriguing. As stated in his biography, Hedgewar had sent word everywhere that “the Sangh will not engage in this Satyagraha, but individuals who wish to participate personally are not prohibited.” This meant that members with responsibilities within the Sangh were not allowed to take part.

Surprisingly, Hedgewar himself took part in Gandhiji’s Salt Satyagraha. His biography, authored by an RSS volunteer and pracharak, uncovers the underlying intention behind this action: “Dr. Sahib also believed that he would be able to discuss the Sangh’s affairs with the freedom-loving, selfless and respectable group present there and connect them with the work.”

In essence, Hedgewar joined the Dandi movement not out of dedication to the Salt Satyagraha, but to integrate Congress workers into the Sangh, which ultimately led to his arrest.

On this occasion, Hedgewar spent a month in jail, and his biography states that he persisted in his efforts for the Sangh even while imprisoned.

“Throughout this entire duration, Doctor Sahib remained vigilant about the Sangh’s activities. He fostered strong connections with all the leaders and workers who were imprisoned alongside him, explained the Sangh’s initiatives to them, and secured their assurances of future cooperation. When released from prison, he emerged with a strategy aimed at significantly advancing the organisation’s efforts.”

Ban on entry in Congress in 1934

The Congress leadership quickly realised that several communal and divisive organisations were trying to misuse Congress workers to carry out their nefarious schemes. Therefore, in 1934, the All India Congress Committee formally passed a resolution prohibiting Congress members from joining the RSS, Hindu Mahasabha and the Muslim League.

The Quit India Movement of 1942: The role of the RSS

The RSS’s role during the Quit India Movement of 1942 has been the most controversial. Referring to the Chimur Movement, Prime Minister Modi claimed that “many volunteers endured horrific atrocities inflicted by the British.” However, historians contend that the reality is different.

The RSS sporadically references the Chimur Movement in its publications and platforms, but there is no historical evidence of the Sangh’s organised role in it. According to historians, the Chimur Uprising of 1942 was a movement of freedom fighters and the general populace. While it is possible that some swayamsevaks participated on an individual basis, there was no systematic, policy-driven participation of the RSS.

Shamsul Islam highlights that M.S. Golwalkar, the second Sarsanghchalak of the RSS, acknowledged that “even in 1942, there was turmoil in the minds of the volunteers, yet the RSS did not take any direct action.” He further recognised that “not only outsiders but many of our swayamsevaks themselves began to say that the RSS was an organisation of passive individuals, whose words lacked substance.”

Documents found in the British government archives clearly show that the RSS was not considered a national threat. A Bombay government report stated: “The RSS has carefully kept itself within the bounds of the law, and in particular, avoided taking part in the disturbances that broke out in August 1942.”

Is there an effort underway to alter history?

The role of the RSS has been a subject of scrutiny even during the independence movement. In light of Prime Minister Modi’s recent remarks, the main opposition party, Congress, published an extensive post on social media:

“During the Quit India Movement against the British in 1942, when (people of) the entire nation were being imprisoned, the RSS was aiding the British in quelling this uprising. A slogan resonated among the people regarding this betrayal by the RSS: Those who were patriots took up arms, while those who were traitors aligned with the Sangh.”

Now, at the centenary celebrations of the RSS, Prime Minister Modi has praised the organisation’s contribution to the freedom struggle and released a special postage stamp along with a 100 rupee commemorative coin, which is perceived as an effort to misrepresent historical truths.

Historian Shamsul Islam said, “Not a single RSS member sacrificed their life during India’s freedom struggle, and none of the prominent RSS figures of that era, including Golwalkar, Deendayal Upadhyaya, Balraj Madhok, Lal Krishna Advani, K.R. Malkani, or any other RSS affiliate, played any role in this significant liberation movement.”

As the RSS marks its centenary and the government seeks to depict it as a warrior of the freedom struggle, is history being rewritten? Are facts that expose the RSS’s true role being concealed?

Translated from the Hindi original – which appeared on The Wire Hindi – by Naushin Rehman.

This article went live on October third, two thousand twenty five, at forty minutes past six in the evening.

 

 Ankit Raj, October 3, 2025

 

 

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