Overview

• At the New Delhi centenary lectures, Mohan Bhagwat said the RSS does not decide BJP appointments and noted the delay in naming the next party chief was not due to the Sangh.
• He rejected speculation about retiring at 75, stating any decision on his tenure rests with the RSS.
• Bhagwat reiterated a priority on Swadeshi and self-reliance, echoing a broader Atmanirbhar thrust.
• The organisation is targeting about 100,000 shakhas from roughly 68,651 as part of a nationwide outreach drive.
• Positioning the RSS as a service-led cultural body, leaders highlighted relief work in recent Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir floods and urged social harmony, including remarks that Islam will remain in India and that the RSS will not launch agitations over Kashi or Mathura.