New Delhi

Mohan Bhagwat, Sarsanghchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), stated that the 1000-year baggage of war and history, along with the British policy of dividing Indians along religious lines for their vested interests, has resulted in a strong mistrust between Hindus and Muslims, which must be resolved in a time-bound manner.

He said that reconciliation and brotherhood between India’s two major religious groups were inevitable, but must be achieved with patience, as it “is a long haul.”

“First, we must prepare the ground and then only can we walk on the path,” he said while addressing a group of eminent Muslims in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, about two weeks ago.

The recording of the event, organised under the banner of the Interfaith Harmony Foundation of India, led by Dr Khwaja Iftikhar Ahmed, was released recently.

Dr. Mohan Rao Bhagwat delivering the keynote address

The video released by the Meeting of Minds platform shows approximately 100 Islamic scholars, including Shia clerics, and women listening to the RSS chief.

The video's description claims that it was a historic moment in Lucknow, when RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat addressed over a hundred senior Muslim scholars representing all five major Islamic schools of thought—Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanbali, and Jafari. Held on November 23, 2025, the event was billed as the first open, face-to-face dialogue between the RSS and Muslim scholars in India's history.

Author and former bureaucrat Dr Khwaja Iftikhar Ahmed, in his opening remarks, spoke about creating an environment that is conducive to interfaith dialogue.

In his keynote address, Bhagwat spoke at length on the genesis of the tension between Hindus and Muslims and how RSS was focused on ending it through dialogue and cooperation with Muslims.

He said the people of India, being a land of myriad cultures and religions, never pursued one identity, and this was mistaken for our disunity. However, the war of independence in 1857 brought people of all faiths together to fight the British, and it rattled the colonial power.

Muslim leaders listening intently to RSS chief Bhagwat

He said the British worked on a plan to divide Hindus and Muslims, and it compounded the historic baggage the two carried.

He said RSS doesn’t believe difference and diversity are India’s fault lines. “These are our characteristics and identity. Our diversity is our unity.”

He said, against the culture of invaders who came to India, that "their way is the only right way, the Indian civilisation believed in that we have no problem in walking with others and with others walking with us since the destination for all is one."

He said the RSS first worked on bringing about political awareness among the Hindus, and it has worked.

Its leaders seek to communicate with Muslim leaders and, through them, to the masses along these lines.

Bhagwat clarified that though the Hindu term doesn't have a religious connotation, he is ready to accept Muslims objecting to being called Hindus. “Let them call themselves by any name: say Hindvi or Hindustani; the unity is not about semantics but about spirit and brotherhood."

He however, cautioned that the prevailing mistrust between Hindus and Muslims will not dissipate overnight; “It’s deeply rooted on both sides and will take a lot of time.”

He said the Sangh’s efforts at bringing in reconciliation between Hindus and Muslims are not of a transactional nature but about the spirit of brotherhood, which can only come from within society. “It’s a long haul, but we have started working on it: he said.

Audiences as RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat speaks in Lucknow

He added that he has been delivering lectures at various places to mark the Sangh's centenary, and Lucknow's meeting with Muslim scholars and leaders was an important stop in this process.

He also mentioned that when he was about to attend the event, some people tried to stop him by citing the Delhi bombings, but he ignored them. “The people sitting here are not terrorists; I have come to

On the issue of mob lynching, Dr Bhagwat clarified that this is supported by the RSS. It’s not sanctioned by RSS or even Hinduism.

“ The RSS's approach is not to fight, but to unite," he said.

He appreciated Muslim leaders for initiating a dialogue for reconciliation with the Sangh.

He said since politics is driven by votes, the government makes decisions based on that calculation. Referring to Muslims, he said that many times the community's concerns were conveyed to the government, some were accepted, some were not.

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On the question of integrating Muslims into the Sangh, he said that only through unity is it possible to solve all problems, but this process will also proceed slowly. He reiterated, “Haste spoils things.”