RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat (Source: File/ PTI)
DESPITE CLAIMING to have socialism and non-expansionism as its ideology, China has embraced the expansionist ideals of the emperors of its past, according to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.
Speaking at a discussion titled “Role of India in Global Perspectiveâ€, organised by the RSS Sunday, Bhagwat said that despite efforts by the US, a multi-polar world has arisen and China is trying to spread its influence.
“China has now risen. Now this is what China wants to do. Communists keep saying that we are socialists and we will never go towards capitalism, we are not expansionist. But Guruji (former RSS chief M S Golwalkar) said in the 1960s that this will not happen. He said wait for some time and China will come back to its basic nature. It will have little of Confucius and more of the expansionism of its past emperors. And that’s what we see today. Today, China has become a big economic power and it wants to expand its influence. It is not bothered about what the world thinks about it. It is pursuing its goal,†Bhagwat said.
The RSS chief also said that India is stronger than ever and has realised its strength.
Referring to a story of how a lion raised like a goat kept behaving like one until shown the mirror, Bhagwat said: “We always had the capability, but we never realised it. We do so now. In the aftermath of the 1962 war, there was a perception that India was a cry baby (seeking help from the US to fight China). That situation is not there today… (But) we will not use strength for hooliganism. When we become strong, we will protect the weak. If we become rich, we will engage in philanthropy.â€
Referring to Russia and the Middle East, he said: “In the multipolar world now, Russia is also playing its game. It is trying to progress by suppressing the West. This has created a lot of chaos in the Middle East. It has had an impact on the world. Religious fundamentalism is rising again.â€
Speaking about the rise of nationalism across the world, Bhagwat said, “There is a term called liberal democracy, which says that all this nationalism is useless, the whole world is one. It’s a good thought. But all those countries, which called themselves liberal democracies, are embracing nationalism. What France, what America, what England and what Holland. So the idea that the whole world is one and market forces will drive the people has been abandoned. Man imagined such a world on the strength of science. That science has reached its limit.â€
Bhagwat said India will have a major role to play because among the new rising powers, only India can provide trust, confidence and a sense of security. “People fear other powers. They don’t trust them. Those powers included, everyone thinks if India comes ahead to lead, everyone will benefit,†he said.
© The Indian Express (P) Ltd
