Murli Manohar Joshi Brings “Degrowth” Discourse to RSS Economic Meet Ahead of Sangh Centenary Event
A week before RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat addressed a three-day lecture series in Delhi marking 100 years of the organisation, the Sangh quietly hosted a significant but closed-door brainstorming session on the country’s economic and social path.
Around 80 delegates representing six of the RSS’s affiliated organisations working in the economic sector gathered to deliberate on India’s challenges — from inequality and drug abuse to climate change and the future of growth itself.
The star speaker was none other than Murli Manohar Joshi, the 91-year-old former BJP president, Union minister, and physicist-turned-politician, who has largely stayed away from the limelight since being moved to the BJP’s inactive Margdarshak Mandal after Narendra Modi and Amit Shah consolidated power in the party.
In his presentation of nearly 70 slides, Joshi challenged the conventional narrative that places GDP growth at the center of national progress, arguing instead for an alternative model he termed “Degrowth”.
Quoting Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, Joshi underlined that a nation’s economic success could not be judged by income alone, as such a focus sidelines the crucial goal of human well-being.
RSS’s Economic Brainstorm: Beyond Growth Numbers
Joshi’s keynote was both provocative and reflective. He pointed to India’s low per capita GDP of $2,878.5, starkly contrasting it with Japan’s $33,955.7, even as the Modi government highlights India’s rise to the world’s third-largest economy.
He noted India’s deep wealth inequality, citing 2021 data showing that the top 10% of the population owned 65% of household wealth.
Introducing the idea of “Degrowth” into India’s economic vocabulary, Joshi described it as a “decolonization of public discourse”, urging a shift away from unchecked growth models toward values such as sharing, simplicity, care, and preservation of the commons.
RSS chief Bhagwat, present during the session, endorsed Joshi’s intervention, remarking: “Joshi ji ne sab kuchh keh diya hai” (Dr. Joshi has said everything).
Themes Highlighted in Joshi’s Address
- Integral Humanism and Self-Reliance: Drawing from Deendayal Upadhyay’s philosophy, Joshi cautioned against excessive reliance on foreign collaborations, which he said undermined indigenous industries and agriculture.
- Social Issues: He flagged the drug menace, quoting studies showing 15.8 million children between 10–17 addicted to narcotics, and Home Minister Amit Shah’s admission that 7% of Indians are trapped in narcotics.
- Rising Suicides: NCRB data showed suicides increasing from 1.34 lakh in 2018 to 1.70 lakh in 2022. Between 2019 and 2021, 35,950 students died by suicide, while 98 students at premier institutes like IITs and IIMs took their lives from 2018–23.
- Education Deficit: India’s Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) at the college level stands at 32.7%, far behind Poland (75.3%) and Japan (64.6%), though an improvement from 5.5% in 1995.
- Employment Structure: India’s workforce is still 43.5% dependent on agriculture, compared to Poland’s 7.6% and Japan’s 3%. Only 23.9% of India’s employed population has salaried jobs, while Poland has 80.1% and Japan has 90.5%.
- Technology & AI: Joshi warned that the rise of Artificial Intelligence could worsen inequalities if unchecked.
- Climate Concerns: Referring to recent natural disasters in Uttarakhand, Jammu, and Himachal Pradesh, Joshi described the situation as a “climate emergency”. He argued for road stability in the Himalayas over mere widening, while predicting climate-induced migration hotspots in Assam, Bihar, and the Sundarbans.
Structure and Participation at the Meet
The August 19–20 meeting, coordinated by B Surendran of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), was the largest since the group was conceptualised in March 2024.
The BMS often diverges from the Modi government’s position on labour, underscoring the autonomous nature of these deliberations.
Delegates came from Bhartiya Kisan Sangh, Sahkar Bharti, Grahak Panchayat, Swadeshi Jagran Manch, and Laghu Udyog Bharti. Senior RSS leaders, including sarkaryavah Datta Hosbale, sah-sarkaryawahs Krishna Gopal, C R Mukund, Arun Kumar, Ram Dutt Chakradhar, Atul Limaye, and Alok Kumar, attended throughout.
Special invitees included RSS ideologue S Gurumurthy, BJP general secretaries B L Santhosh and Arun Singh, Sanjeev Sanyal from the PM’s Economic Advisory Council, and UP Finance Minister Suresh Khanna.
Hosbale cautioned that the discussions should not be seen as criticism of the government, but as a space for the Sangh to explore long-term social and economic frameworks.
A Blueprint for the Future?
As one of the last active public roles of Murli Manohar Joshi in national discourse, his intervention framed a counter-narrative to India’s current economic story.
By calling for “Degrowth,” Joshi challenged the prevailing growth-obsession and urged delegates to balance theory with action — blending Hindu worldviews, Integral Humanism, and sustainability into a blueprint for India’s future.
Whether these ideas influence policy or remain part of the Sangh’s internal conversations is yet to be seen, but the session reaffirmed the RSS’s interest in shaping India’s economic and social philosophy beyond the politics of the day.
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