New Delhi

Congress leaders Rashid Alvi and V Hanumantha Rao on Thursday launched a sharp attack on RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat over his recent remarks, accusing him and the BJP of pushing divisive agendas, imposing Hindi, and attempting to undermine India's secular character.

The leaders alleged that Bhagwat's statements do not translate into action and warned against efforts to erase Mahatma Gandhi's legacy.

Reacting to Bhagwat's statement, Congress leader Rashid Alvi said that both the RSS chief and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were focused on image-building rather than addressing real issues on the ground.

"Mohan Bhagwat and the Prime Minister are both trying to cultivate their images. Neither of them seems to care whether what they say actually translates into action on the ground. If Mohan Bhagwat truly believes this, why doesn't he tell the BJP leaders to stop forcibly imposing Hindi on the people of South India, which only creates a huge uproar and makes people there hate Hindi? Mohan Bhagwat's statements won't make any difference. He needs to explain this to his cadre and the BJP leaders," Alvi said.

Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao also accused the RSS chief of working towards turning India into a Hindu Rashtra and erasing the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi.

"RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat has only one work, and that is to make India a 'Hindu Rashtra' and erase Mahatma Gandhi's name from it... People must understand and try to stop this... this country cannot become a Hindu country as it is a secular country... They are even trying to change the name of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme (MNREGA) by removing Mahatma Gandhi's name from it and adding Lord Ram's name... people should fight to reverse it," Rao said.

On Sunday, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said that India must once again work towards becoming a 'Vishwaguru', not out of ambition but because it is the need of the world, emphasising that the time has now come to carry forward the resurgence of Sanatana Dharma.

Addressing a gathering in Hyderabad, Bhagwat referred to events from a century ago, saying that around 100 years back, Yogi Arvind had declared that the resurgence of Sanatana Dharma was God's will and that the rise of the Hindu nation was essential for that resurgence.

"That time has now come, 100 years ago, when Yogi Arvind declared that the resurgence of Sanatana Dharma is God's will, and that the rise of the Hindu nation is for the resurgence of Sanatana Dharma," he said.

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Bhagwat further asserted that Bharat, the Hindu nation, Sanatan Dharma, and Hindutva are synonymous. "Bharat or the Hindu nation, and Sanatana Dharma, Hindutva, are synonymous. He indicated that this process had begun. We now need to continue that process...We see that the efforts of the Sangh in India and those of Hindu Swayamsevak Sanghs in their respective countries are the same: to organise the Hindu community. To set an example of a society leading a religious life in the whole world, to set examples of people leading a religious life..."

Following this, the RSS Chief said that becoming a 'Vishwaguru' requires sustained hard work across various streams, including the Sangh's efforts.