RSS volunteers have made positive impact across country: HM Amit Shah
Raipur: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that no historian can deny the significant contribution of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to India’s national journey, both before and after Independence.
Speaking at a conclave on the book ‘Chhattisgarh@25 – Shifting the Lens’ in Chhattisgarh, HM Amit Shah said that the role and ideology of the RSS have consistently worked for people’s progress and the protection of their rights.
Expressing gratitude to the RSS, the Union Minister said, “There is no area in the country where RSS volunteers (swayamsevaks) have not made a positive impact.”
Addressing the 25th anniversary of Chhattisgarh’s formation, HM Shah emphasised that political parties and development must be driven by a strong and positive ideology. He contrasted the BJP’s development-oriented ideological approach with what he described as “destructive” ideologies.
HM Shah asserted that the development of Chhattisgarh, often cited as a success under BJP rule, is linked to an ideological framework that focuses on social, economic and infrastructure development, rather than ideologies that promote conflict.
He highlighted that among various institutions, the contributions of RSS volunteers have been among the most prominent in different sectors of national life since Independence.
The Union Home Minister said that over the last three decades, both NDA governments under Atal Bihari Vajpayee and UPA governments under Dr Manmohan Singh oversaw the bifurcation of states.
He noted that during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure, three new states — Chhattisgarh from Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand from Bihar, and Uttarakhand from Uttar Pradesh — were formed peacefully and with consensus, and that each of these states is now contributing to the nation’s progress.
In contrast, HM Shah said the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh during Dr Manmohan Singh’s tenure saw the Bill passed amid protests, with MPs from Andhra Pradesh kept out of the Lok Sabha, leading to prolonged disputes.
Referring to the Maoist problem, HM Shah said the main affected areas were border districts of Telangana, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, particularly Bastar.
He said development data from the 1980s, when the problem began, clearly showed that there were more than 100 districts in the country that were more backward than Bastar at the time.
“If the root cause of Maoism is lack of development, then why did this problem not spread to those 100 districts that were even more backward than Bastar?” HM Shah asked.