The RSS’s Struggle for Legitimacy: Rewriting India’s Freedom Narrative
16/Oct/2024 During a discussion on the biography of Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar, the second chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), written by Dhirendra K. Jha, journalist Hartosh Bal asked why the RSS wants to identify with the freedom movement, by appropriating its key figures and events, when it did not take part in the anti-colonial national liberation movement. Why does it want to make the national liberation movement its reference point when it had made all attempts to distance itself from it? Before answering the question, it can be said that the RSS is trying to prove its authenticity as the bearer of the Indian dream in the eyes of its people. Even 75 years after the freedom struggle, we still draw our authority by establishing our relationship with the freedom movement. “What were your ancestors doing then?” is a common question. It is essential to establish your relationship with the freedom struggle. Only then would your lineage be respected. The RSS does not have tha...