The entire Indian continent is a Hindu nation. That's what Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat believes. Speaking at a Sangh training camp in Mathura on Friday, Bhagwat reiterated that there should not be any doubt that everyone residing in India, Bangladesh or Pakistan are part of the Hindu nation.

Harping on his Hindu rhetoric Bhagwat said, "Bharat ek Hindu rashtra hai. We shouldn't have any doubt about it. And we need to stick to this belief. We can change ourselves in other areas. But the belief that India is a Hindu nation cannot be discarded at any cost."

Referring to multiple ways in which people are identified, he said, "Some people call themselves Hindus, some say they are Indian. There are some other people who call themselves Aryans and some say they don't believe in idol worship. This doesn't make any difference when it comes to accepting India as a Hindu rashtra."

Bhagwat claimed that besides India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are also Hindu nations. "Those who are living in the Indian subcontinent belong to the Hindu nation. They may have different citizenships but their nationality is Hindu," he said at Sriji Baba Saraswati Shishu Mandir in Mathura where the RSS training camp of western zone was organised on Friday.

To prove his point Bhagwat took a leaf out of the history book: "The Arabs used to pronounce 'Sa' as 'Ha'. So they would call us Hindu because there was river Sindhu in our country. It was in the area where Pakistan was carved out in 1947. In 1971, Bangladesh was carved out of Pakistan. This was the reason that the citizenship of residents of those areas changed. But they didn't leave their houses or their nation. This is why I say that their nationality remains the same," he said.

RSS chief said that some people are ignorant and they claim that they are Muslims or Christians. "The ancient name of this part of the land is Hindustan. Obviously whosoever is living here are Hindus," he further said.

Bhagwat called upon the Sangh cadres to grab the opportunity to spread the ideology of the organisation. "The situation is completely in our favour. This is the time when all the wings of the RSS should work to expand its base. We need to have a stronger base if we have to build a taller building. So is the case with the Sangh. We also need to increase the reach of our shakhas," he added.



