Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Sunday that India needs to be more powerful than China in terms of military readiness, adding that the world is aware of that country’s expansionist designs.
Speaking at Sangh’s annual Vijayadashami rally, which this time was limited to an indoor event attended by 50 ‘swayamsevaks’ due to Covid-19 guidelines, Bhagwat said India needs to be better prepared militarily against China.
Many countries are now taking on China, he said.
Stating that China was shocked by India’s response to its intrusion, Bhagwat said: “Our defense forces, the government and the people responded vigorously to China’s efforts to invade our territories.” “We don’t know how he will react. So the way to go is to be alert and prepared. We should be more powerful than China in terms of military readiness, economic conditions, international relations and also relations with neighboring countries, ”he said.
The government should forge an alliance against China with immediate neighbors like Nepal, Sri Lanka and others, he said. “India needs to grow more in power and reach than China,” he added.
“China invaded our borders in the middle of the pandemic,” he said, adding that the world knows the expansionist nature of that country. He cited Taiwan and Vietnam as examples of Chinese expansionist designs.
“We intend to be friendly with everyone. This is our nature. But confusing our benevolence with weakness and attempts to disintegrate or weaken us by sheer brute force is unacceptable. Our detractors must know this now, ”he said.
Bhagwat said that India is a Hindu Rashtra and Hindutva is the essence of the country’s individuality.
“When the RSS says that Hindustan is a Hindu Rashtra, they have no political or power-centered concept in their mind,” said Bhagwat.
He said the term Hindutva has been distorted by adding a ritual connotation to it.
The Sangh believes the term is applicable to the 1.3 billion people in the country who call themselves the sons and daughters of Bharatvarsh … and who are proud of the heritage of their ancestors, he said.
On the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), Bhagwat said he is not against any particular religious community, but “some people misled our Muslim brothers” claiming that it was aimed at restricting their population.
“There was opposition to CAA claiming that it was being used to control the Muslim population in the country. In fact, no Indian national was threatened because of the CAA, ”he said.
Before the issue could be discussed further, attention turned to the coronavirus, which overshadowed all other issues, he added.
“We must not fear the coronavirus, but we must be alert and cautious. We cannot stop living. The coronavirus is spreading but deaths are lower. Due to the pandemic, we have begun to learn again the importance of hygiene, cleanliness, the environment, family values, ”he said.
“The coronavirus has led to unemployment challenges. Many lost jobs and workers are now returning to the cities. But the jobs may not be there. The challenge is to create job opportunities in different places, ”he said.
Bhagwat said that before the pandemic, various issues that were in public discourse took a back seat.
“Article 370 was repealed, the country accepted the Supreme Court verdict on the temple of Ram with patience and understanding,” he said.
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