The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is slowly but steadily carrying out a campaign to enthuse citizens into exercising their right to vote, its chief, Mohanrao Bhagwat, said in Nagpur on Saturday, in the customary Vijayadashami address.

Bhagwat did not mention any political party or figure as the intended beneficiary of the exercise. He said he was asking that voting be issue-based, for parties which follow policies serving the interest and for capable candidates who also have integrity. ''Giving up complacency, we have to actively cooperate with all efforts that are being made in this direction, as well as the electoral process and the individuals concerned,'' he said.

Assing: ''Hundred per cent polling will make democracy healthier. We have to minutely evaluate the policies of contending political parties, as also the character of the candidates while exercising our franchise. We should never fall prey to any form of deceptive propaganda or stratagem; neither should we allow ourselves to be carried away by cheap emotions or narrow-minded considerations.”



The RSS chief (‘sarsangchalak’) also made a scathing attack against the Congess-led UPA government at the Centre for its economic policies. ''The common people are reeling under the unbearable weight of an unending price rise. Just two years back, loud noises were being made about making our country an economic superpower of the world. Today, we are in search of a means to arrest the trend of a fall in the value of the rupee so as to tide over a fiscal deficit, current account deficit and depleting foreign exchange reserves,” he said.

He made a strong pitch for an indigenous pattern of growth, based on “our own genius”, keeping in mind the positive and negative aspects of modern technology, economic systems and trends, to achieve a growth that would bring benefits even to the last man. “This will make us self-reliant, create jobs, improve quality and ensure equity, justice and freedom from exploitation,” he opined.