Prime Minister’s Praise for Bhagwat Blurs Line Between State and Ideology

Prime Minister Modi marked the 75th birthday of Mohan Bhagwat, head of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), with a newspaper tribute calling his tenure the most transformative in the RSS’s 100-year history. This links the authority of the Prime Minister’s office with an unelected ideological group, and therefore raises concerns about political neutrality, ethical conduct and the symbolism of state alignment with a single worldview.