RSS Sounds Warning Over Youth Protests, Sees Possible Conspiracy Behind Unrest; Hosabale Defends SIR

INDORE: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has expressed concern over the growing wave of youth-led protests in the country, alleging that organised elements could be attempting to turn public discontent into a wider campaign of social instability.

RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, speaking to journalists in Indore on Tuesday, suggested that forces operating both within India and abroad might be seeking to influence young protesters and use their anger for purposes beyond the issues that initially brought them onto the streets.

Without dismissing the concerns raised by the younger generation, he maintained that demonstrations against perceived injustice should not become instruments for creating divisions or encouraging violence.

He also indicated that the possibility of a coordinated effort behind some of the unrest could not be ruled out.

His remarks came amid a series of youth demonstrations, including protests associated with Generation Z, which have brought issues such as unemployment, examination paper leaks and alleged administrative failures into the political spotlight.

Hosabale argued that disagreements with the government were legitimate in a democratic system, where political leadership could be changed through elections.

However, he drew a distinction between peaceful political opposition and attempts to destabilise society through confrontation.

According to him, the anger of young people should be understood rather than automatically interpreted as hostility towards the nation.

He recalled his own participation in student and youth activism during the Jayaprakash Narayan movement, saying that every generation experiences dissatisfaction with the prevailing political and social order.

The RSS leader said young people should be given opportunities to express their concerns and suggest improvements. Their complaints might arise from personal experiences of injustice or from broader problems affecting society, he observed.

He also called upon responsible sections of society to engage with the younger generation instead of remaining passive. In his view, the absence of constructive voices creates space for disruptive elements to influence public movements.

Hosabale maintained that genuine demands for administrative intervention were entirely legitimate. What the RSS opposed, he said, was the use of public anger to promote political rivalries, encourage violence or weaken social harmony.

RSS backs electoral roll revision amid political controversy

The RSS general secretary also defended the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, an exercise that has triggered a confrontation between the poll body and several political parties.

He questioned the criticism directed at the revision process, arguing that electoral records needed periodic scrutiny to maintain their accuracy.

Political organisations were free to oppose government or institutional decisions, he said, but their objections should be supported by facts rather than political assumptions.

Hosabale cited several reasons for updating voter lists, including the continued presence of deceased individuals, duplicate registrations and entries belonging to people who were not eligible to vote.

Referring to his own experience, he said his name had continued to appear on the electoral roll of his native village even though he had been living and voting elsewhere for years.

He said he had received a notice from the Election Commission in connection with the matter and questioned why a person should remain registered in more than one location.

He also raised concerns about the alleged presence of foreign nationals in electoral records, arguing that the inclusion of people who were not entitled to vote could have implications for national security as well as the integrity of elections.

The RSS leader said such discrepancies should be corrected through a systematic verification process and that names found to be ineligible should be removed in accordance with the rules.

Reservation should continue until discrimination ends

On the politically sensitive question of reservation, Hosabale reiterated the RSS position that affirmative action should remain in place as long as social inequalities arising from historical discrimination persist.

He said communities that had suffered social and educational disadvantages because of discriminatory practices should continue receiving the benefits of reservation until meaningful equality was achieved.

According to him, the policy should be viewed as a corrective social arrangement rather than merely an administrative concession.

He referred to similar affirmative-action mechanisms in other countries, including the United States, where measures are adopted to address historical and structural disadvantages.

Hosabale also stressed that any proposal to alter the existing reservation framework should involve consultation with the communities that receive its benefits. Their views, he indicated, must be central to decisions concerning the future of the policy.

RSS rules out becoming an international organisation

Addressing questions about the Sangh’s overseas presence, Hosabale said the RSS had no plans to transform itself into an international organisation.

He acknowledged that volunteers associated with the organisation were active in approximately 80 to 100 countries, where they worked to bring members of Hindu communities together.

Such activities, he said, were conducted within the legal frameworks of the respective countries.

However, he emphasised that the RSS itself remained an organisation operating within India’s geographical boundaries and had no ambition to establish an international institutional structure.

Hosabale made these remarks while addressing the media on the sidelines of the RSS’s Akhil Bharatiya Karyakari Mandal meeting in Indore.

The gathering comes amid an increasingly charged national debate over youth mobilisation, electoral reforms, social justice and the role of organised groups in public movements.