“It is wrong to think that circumstances will change with a change of power,” Bhagwat said. “This has never happened before, and it will not happen in the future either.”
Addressing the RSS's annual Vijayadashami gathering in Nagpur, Bhagwat alleged that certain forces were attempting to weaken India because of the country's progress. He warned that Indians needed to remain vigilant against efforts to divert the country from its path towards becoming a developed nation.
“India is their main target because India is progressing. These forces know that they cannot obstruct the way India has advanced over the past few decades through decisive policies... Therefore, they are trying to break India and the Sangh,” he said.
Bhagwat cautioned that protests driven by political motives or provoked by certain groups could be used to create tension, disorder and disruptions to public order. He maintained that social problems should be addressed through solutions emerging from within society rather than through demonstrations.
“The situation is clear... There are many forces in the world that want India to lose,” he said.
“There is a storm coming from the West that hates culture, order and security. It wants to destroy everything,” Bhagwat added.
He cited France, Bangladesh and Nepal as examples of countries that have witnessed movements against their governments in recent years. In Nepal, the government led by KP Sharma Oli fell in September 2025 following Gen-Z protests. A year earlier, student protests in Bangladesh had developed into a wider movement, leading to the removal of Sheikh Hasina's Awami League government from power in August 2024.
More recently, France witnessed large-scale demonstrations over the rising cost of living and declining public services, resulting in more than 1,000 arrests.
Bhagwat said some people in India also appeared to echo the ideas of forces seeking to destabilise the country.
“Some people in India also agree with their ideas... those who have little intelligence and crave power,” he said.
Appealing to society to remain alert, the RSS chief urged people to ensure that problems were resolved internally rather than through protests that could be exploited for political purposes.
The RSS was founded by Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in Nagpur on September 27, 1925, on the day of Vijayadashami. The organisation formally began its activities from Hedgewar's residence.
The RSS marks its foundation day every year during Dussehra, when the organisation's Sarsanghchalak addresses its volunteers. A guest of honour is also invited to the annual ceremony. This year, Sanjay Gupta, editor-in-chief of Dainik Jagran, was invited. Former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar was also present at the event.
During his address, Bhagwat presented the national song Vande Mataram as a symbol of unity in Bengal. He recalled how society had strongly opposed Lord Curzon's attempt to divide Bengal along religious lines, forcing the British government to withdraw its proposal. He contrasted that outcome with the Partition of India in 1947, arguing that hatred had prevented a similar outcome.
“When Lord Curzon tried to divide Bengal along religious lines to separate Hindus and Muslims, society strongly opposed the decision to divide one land and one people on the basis of religion. The British government was forced to withdraw its proposal to partition Bengal. During the same period, Vande Mataram emerged as a symbol of that unity and patriotism. The attempt to divide Bengal failed,” Bhagwat said.
He questioned why the same outcome could not be achieved in 1947, when India was partitioned.
“Then why could a similar result not be achieved in 1947? Because those who wanted to divide us and keep us entangled in mutual conflict instilled in our minds the idea that since we are different, we must remain separate. Since we appear different from one another, we should also be different in reality and remain distant from one another,” he said.
Bhagwat argued that communal and extremist ideologies had influenced people into believing that visible differences meant they could not be united. He said the pursuit of separatism, political dominance and self-interest had gradually weakened the fundamental principles that had held society together.
“Under the influence of communal and extremist ideologies, we too began to believe that if we appear different, we are not one but separate from one another. Driven by the obsession with separatism, the desire for political dominance and attempts to fulfil selfish interests, we gradually began rejecting the very fundamental principles that had kept us united. A mindset of appeasement continuously encouraged this divisive thinking. Ultimately, the country was partitioned,” he said.
Bhagwat's comments came days after senior Supreme Court advocate Prashant Bhushan said that protests against alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Delhi had effectively become “a fight for regime change.”
Bhushan's remarks triggered a political controversy. Last week, he said the government was accusing the opposition of seeking to change the government, while the immediate objective of the protests was to ensure that elections were conducted properly.
“The government alleges that the opposition wants regime change... At present, we are fighting to ensure that elections are conducted properly. But if this kind of brutality continues, there will certainly be a change of power,” Bhushan said.
The BJP responded by criticising the statement. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh alleged that certain groups were attempting to use young people to create political unrest in the country.
BJP national spokesperson C.R. Keshavan also criticised the demand for regime change. He said Bhushan's statement proved, in the BJP's view, that the protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar were a “pretext” intended to conceal the opposition's alleged strategy to bring down the government.
Bhagwat's address placed the ongoing debate over electoral-roll revision and political protests within a broader warning about national unity, social cohesion and the potential use of public demonstrations to pursue political objectives.
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