The RSS: Icons of the Indian Right

by Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay

Dr Moonje’s return from Europe coincided with Dr Hedgewar’s massive territorial expansion of the RSS’ network which included his renewed campaigns for militarising Hindus. It may be recalled that this was amongst the three objectives that he had set out for the RSS in 1925. Dr Moonje was mighty impressed with his protégé’s zeal, and spearheaded a Hindu Mahasabha resolution in September 1932 which openly praised Hedgewar for his success in building a strong Hindu organisation. In late January 1934, Hedgewar presided over a seminar on fascism, while Dr Moonje delivered the concluding speech. In a private meeting a few months later, the two further discussed the rearming of Hindus. Yet another jotting in Dr Moonje’s diary reveals the duo’s thought process as follows, ‘This ideal (organising Hindus) cannot be brought to effect unless we have our own swaraj with a Hindu as a dictator like Shivaji of old or Mussolini or Hitler.’47