Change in demeanour should not be prompted by ED raids: Mohan Bhagwat

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Wednesday said a change in the demeanour of people should not happen because of police or ED (Enforcement Directorate) raids, but should happen from the heart and with a conscience.

He was speaking at the 101st anniversary event of Lokmanya Seva Sangh, a Mumbai-based organisation set up to build a “socially vigilant, disciplined, cultured and progressive society”.

"Organisations should pick various subjects to ensure social transformation. I have listed a few of them. Change in demeanour can also happen because of police standing (in the street) or to avoid ED raid. We don’t want that. It (change in behaviour) should be from the mind,” Bhagwat said.

The transformation should happen in the mind, and the intellect should accept it, Bhagwat said. “It should happen not because someone else doing it, but should happen with a conscience. I feel it is the responsibility of every institution to introduce such reforms in the society," he said.

Bhagwat said an unsafe country can’t progress. “When there is an invasion, no progress can ever happen. Progress takes place during the period of safety. If we become more and more self-reliant, our country will become safer. A country becomes safer when people follow the basic rules and do not jump the signal,” he said.

The RSS chief also stated that running the country is a huge responsibility. "It is not a contract that can be given to anyone. It is a huge responsibility. Becoming a good person means having civic sense. We in the RSS are now thinking of presenting our workers as an example of civic sense to society," he said.

Bhagwat said that during the era of Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, there were many institutions in the society, and they worked on two fronts: societal reforms and Independence. The institutions in society now need to undertake similar works to bring in a change in demeanour (of people), he added.

“A country whose common man is great is a great nation. Hence, reform at the societal level is needed. A nation's rise and fall are linked with society's thought process and values,” he said.

Bhagwat said Lokmanya Tilak inspired Keshav Hedgewar, who founded RSS in 1925, in his early social life. Citing the example of Winston Churchill, former prime minister of the United Kingdom, from the World War II period, Bhagwat said he was almost ready to surrender before Germany, but he listened to the people and realised that they were ready to fight even with the kitchen knife.

“Churchill gave his most famous speech in the British Parliament, boosting the morale of his people, and England later won the war. He gave the credit to the people of England and said that he roared on behalf of them during the wartime, but the people were the real lions,” said Bhagwat.

The RSS chief said every person plays an important role in social transformation. He expressed concerns that an extremely materialistic lifestyle has taken over society and is affecting familial bonds.

“The extreme materialistic views have dominated the country for many years. Families have become nuclear, and there is no one for ego management. I am sorry to say that families with higher education and income are disjointed. Such a scene is not seen among those earning less. Our society and our families need a better bonding,” he said.

The new generation doesn't know Shivaji Maharaj and Maharana Pratap, Bhagwat rued.