Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday said that the organisation’s top post is not restricted to any caste, asserting that anyone — including members of Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) — can become the sarsanghchalak if they are the “best available candidate.”
He was responding to questions during an interactive session with attendees at a programme at NSCI Dome in Worli, Mumbai, to mark the RSS centenary.
Speaking at the programme titled “100 Years of the Sangh Journey”, Bhagwat said that being a Brahmin is not a qualification for the post, just as belonging to the SC or ST communities is not a disqualification. “The one who is best suited and available at the time should be appointed as the sarsanghchalak,” he said, adding that the chief must be a Hindu, irrespective of caste.
Bhagwat was responding to queries and speculation about leadership selection.
Speaking about his own tenure, Bhagwat said he had informed the organisation when he turned 75 but was asked to continue. “Whenever the RSS asks me to step down, I will do so, but retirement from work will never happen,” he said.
He said there is no election to the post and that the sarsanghchalak is appointed by senior RSS functionaries. “Regional and divisional heads appoint the chief,” he said, noting that leadership decisions are taken when the time comes by those entrusted with the responsibility.
Addressing perceptions that the RSS has been a Brahmin-dominated organisation, Bhagwat said this stemmed from the organisation’s origins in a Brahmin-majority locality, which meant many early leaders were from that community. “People used to call us a Brahmin organisation and did not believe our denial because people judge by who they see,” he said. However, he asserted that the Sangh has since expanded across the country and now has representation from all castes and communities.