5 min readAug 13, 2026 06:41 AM IST
First published on: Aug 7, 2026 at 08:08 PM IST
RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat’s dialogue with students is more than just a political message. It should resonate across the political spectrum. He articulated the most crucial principle of democracy: Protest, dissent and agitations are a legitimate form of dialogue. This message is particularly important in the current moment, when there are extremely polarised opinions — both from intellectuals and the political class — in the country. The RSS has demonstrated its commitment to and conviction in democracy by discarding the extremes.
Every protest is not a referendum against the state. After the formation of a government, organised demands and demonstrations are seen as being “state vs people”. This is a reversal of democracy. It was the reason that, in 1974, the Congress government used force to suppress the demands of students, eventually imposing Emergency. The 2026 protests will be remembered for undoing the notion that people’s protest is the devaluation of an elected government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was progressive and spoke to students and listened to them as a means of enriching policy, instead of following the old tradition of ignoring and suppressing agitations. This is a nuanced evolution that shows there is no place for ego when it comes to advancing democracy.
From ancient times, at various stages of India’s democratic evolution, non-partisan contributions have played an important role in the consolidation of democracy. The first of these in our recorded history is the “Vajji message” of Lord Buddha. His seven principles of welfare give the highest importance to dialogue and meetings in a cordial atmosphere. He said, “as long as the Vajji meet frequently and have many meetings, they can expect to prosper, not to decline.” The context was the Magadha empire’s ambition to wage war against the confederation of 34 republics, known as Vajji, which was led by Licchavi.
Unfortunately, we have a class of intellectuals that not only carries prejudiced views against the BJP-RSS, but also uses the considerable ability and tools at its disposal to hijack movements, whether by farmers or students. Modi has rightly called them “andolanjeevis” whose role is to fracture democracy and prevent dialogue. The violent words and actions of a section of people not only damaged the democratic tradition but also the credibility of the agitations. Democracy does not fail due to confrontation but due to the manipulation of movements by a section of opinion makers who masquerade as the voice of people.
It is in this context that Bhagwat recalled B R Ambedkar’s last speech in the Constituent Assembly in November 1949. Ambedkar called for abandoning the methods of protest practised under the colonial regime — like violent agitation, satyagraha and non-cooperation. He called them the “grammar of anarchy”. That’s why the RSS chief said that continuous dialogue and debate are essential.
The RSS itself faced ideological untouchability to the extent that its ideological content has never been discussed by Nehruvians and Marxists. They dubbed it, unfailingly, as an illegitimate entity. The Sangh has now emerged as a voice of the people. The ideology of the RSS has also brought to government, among opinion-makers and academics, a new set of people. The products and producers of the old regime are fighting their last battle for hegemony. The challenge for saffron intellectuals is not to be met only by heading institutions and universities. They must contribute to advancing universal virtues beyond their ideological commitment. Bhagwat has shown the path.
In an era of neoliberalism, new problems and grievances emerge. We need to look at democracy as a multigenerational relay race where we have to maintain continuity of change. It demands mutual faith. The responsibility for this lies with the older generations more than the younger.
The salient question is about the role of the most important institution of democracy, Parliament. Are our parliamentarians equipped to discuss the transformations brought by the new economic philosophy the world has embraced, and to contribute to the framing of education policy accordingly? Bhagwat’s argument is crucial. The commercialisation of education is dividing students into plebeians and patricians. The last person in line should not only have equality of opportunity but also equal means to avail the best education.
The philosophy of equality is being discarded by neoliberals all over the world, and this gives birth to new grievances and aberrations. Here, the RSS’s intervention is philosophical, not polemical. The decline of debate and discourse is one of the reasons for the democratic deficit in the country. There was a time when the political class was filled with voracious readers and writers. Not any more. That’s why PM Modi recently suggested parliamentarians spend at least two hours a day in the library. The quality of democracy also depends on the character and quality of its lawmakers.
The student agitation shows that democratic consciousness is not a prisoner of self-appointed opinion-makers and even lawmakers. The RSS demonstrated the depth of its commitment during the 1970s when it fought for democracy. Bhagwat’s recent words mark another phase in RSS history. The message is that democracy is made up of more than legislatures. It is the people’s empowerment and their views that are its lifeblood.
The writer is a former BJP Rajya Sabha MP
Bhagwat’s recent words mark another phase in RSS history. The message is that democracy is made up of more than legislatures. It is the people’s empowerment and their views that are its lifeblood 
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