Mohan Bhagwat made the remarks while presenting an award to Champat Rai, General Secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, in Indore.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Chief Mohan Bhagwat stated that India attained its ‘true independence’ on the day construction began on the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. He suggested that the date of the Ram temple’s consecration should be commemorated as “Pratishtha Dwadashi.”
“After India gained political independence from the British on August 15, 1947, a written Constitution was created, guided by a vision rooted in the nation’s essence. However, it was not implemented in alignment with the spirit of that vision at the time,” Mohan Bhagwat said on Monday.
RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat proposed that the date be celebrated as “Pratishtha Dwadashi,” marking Bharat’s true independence after centuries of “parachakra” (foreign invasions).
He made these remarks while presenting the ‘National Devi Ahilya Award’ to Champat Rai, General Secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, in Indore.
As per the Hindu calendar, the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya occurred on the Dwadashi of ‘Shukla Paksha’ in the Paush month last year, corresponding to January 22, 2024, on the Gregorian calendar. This year, Paush Shukla Paksha Dwadashi fell on January 11.
RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat emphasized that the Ram temple movement was not initiated to oppose anyone.
“This movement was launched to awaken Bharat’s ‘self’ (swa), enabling the nation to stand on its own feet and guide the world,” Bhagwat stated.
RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat stated that invaders destroyed temples in India to extinguish the nation’s “self.”
He explained that the Ram Mandir movement endured for so long because certain forces opposed the construction of a temple at Lord Ram’s birthplace.
Recalling a Meeting with Pranab Mukherjee
Bhagwat shared details of a meeting with former President Pranab Mukherjee during a time when the ‘Ghar Wapsi’ issue was being discussed in Parliament.
“During our conversation, Mukherjee remarked that the Indian Constitution is the most secular in the world, and in such a context, no other nation has the right to lecture us on secularism,” Bhagwat said.
He added that Mukherjee credited India’s 5,000-year-old tradition for instilling the values of secularism.
According to Bhagwat, the 5,000-year-old Indian tradition referenced by Pranab Mukherjee during their meeting traces its roots to figures like Lord Ram, Krishna, and Shiva.
Reflecting on the Ram Mandir movement of the 1980s, Bhagwat recounted being frequently asked a “standard question” — why focus on the temple issue instead of addressing people’s livelihood concerns.
“I would respond by pointing out that despite adopting socialism after independence in 1947, raising slogans like ‘Garibi Hatao’ (eradicate poverty), and consistently focusing on livelihood, where was India in the 1980s compared to nations like Israel and Japan?” he told the audience.
The RSS chief emphasized that “India’s path to livelihood passes through the gateway of the Ram temple,” urging people to understand its significance.
