Decorum Was Not Kept During Election, True Leader Is Never Arrogant: Mohan Bhagwat on LS Poll Outcome

New Delhi: In his first public statement on the Lok Sabha Election 2024 results in which the BJP fell short of a majority, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said that a true sevak (one who serves the people) does not have “ahankar” (arrogance) and he added that the true leader works without causing any hurt to others. Talking about bitter poll campaign during the Lok Sabha Elections, he said “decorum was not maintained”.

While addressing a gathering at a periodic training programme for RSS workers at Nagpur, Bhagwat also underlined the importance of building consensus.

The statement from the RSS chief comes on a day when the new BJP-led coalition held its first Cabinet meeting and announced the portfolio distribution to various ministers. He also gave these remarks at a time when the BJP and Sangh have held discussions post the poll results and a new coalition government is taking charge at the Centre.

RSS Chief Expresses Concern

The RSS chief also expressed the Sangh’s concern over violence in Manipur and asked who was going to pay attention to the problem on the ground. He said it had to be dealt with on priority.

Saying that the situation in Manipur must be considered with “priority”, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Chief Mohan Bhagwat said that North eastern state has been awaiting “peace” for a year.

The statement of Bhagwat comes after PM Modi took charge as Prime Minister of the country for the third term. Bhagwat said that it is the “duty to prioritise it and take note of it”.

Bhagwat Says Manipur Looking For Peace

“Manipur has been looking for peace for a year now. It should be discussed on priority. The state had been peaceful for the past 10 years. It felt like the old ‘gun culture’ had come to a demise. It is still burning in the fire of the sudden tension that rose there or that was made to rise there. Who will pay attention to that?It is the duty to prioritise it and take note of it.”, said the RSS Chief.

The northeastern state has been witnessing ethnic violence since May 3 last year following clashes during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) to protest against the demand for the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe category.

Meanwhile, the RSS Chief also stated that the ‘Code of Conduct’ was violated by various political parties during the Lok Sabha polls.

“Elections are an essential process of democracy, there are two parties in it, hence there is competition, if there is competition then there is a task of moving one forward and pushing others backwards. Don’t use it, why are people getting elected? They will go and sit in the Parliament and run the country, they will run it by building consensus, our tradition is to run by building consensus. The mind and psyche of each person are different, hence it is not possible to have similar opinions, but when people in the society decide to move together despite having different minds, then mutual consent is formed. There are two parties in Parliament so both sides are exposed, it is a bit difficult to reach a consensus among people who have come into competition, that is why we take the hope of a majority, there is competition, not mutual war,” Bhagwat said.

“The way we started criticizing each other, and the way our actions in the campaign would increase discord in the society, divide two groups, and create mutual suspicion, was also not taken care of, and organizations like Sangh were also drawn into this, technology falsehoods were served with props, absolute lies; gentlemen do not use this science”, he added.

Decorum Not Kept During Lok Sabha Polls

The RSS Chief stressed that it is important to follow decorum during the elections. “There is decorum even in contesting elections, that decorum was not followed, because it is necessary to follow decorum because the challenges before our country have not ended”, he said.

Bhagwat Praises NDA Govt

Heaping praise on the NDA government, Bhagwat said, “The government has been formed, the NDA government has come back, a lot of good things have happened in the last 10 years, the economic situation is getting very good, the strategic situation is better than before, the prestige of the country has increased in the world, arts, sports, knowledge, science and culture. The countries of the world have started accepting that we are moving forward in the field of agriculture, but this does not mean that we are free from challenges.”

The RSS Chief also mentioned, “Everything will go on according to the verdict of the people. We do not get into questions like why and how. We perform our duties.”