The field in which I am working has undergone a radical change. I am referring to the political field in which along with me many prominent Swayamsevaks have been working for the last so many years. To some it may appear that it is a kind of change that we have been looking for eagerly, for the last over fifty years, but which still seems to elude us. I hold that this change has come about outwardly through the instrumentality of the party which I represent and through which Swayamsevaks have been trying to restore political developments in the country. But really speaking without being in the forefront, Swayamsevaks have played a very key role in bringing about this change. In fact, very often I have had occasion to refer to the RSS in the context of formation of BJP.

The BJP was launched in 1980 and shortly after that whenever any journalist asked me what was the relationship between BJP and RSS, I always told them that organisationally there was no relationship, as the two organisations are separate. Neither the one takes directions from the other, nor is one superior to the other. RSS is not a political organisation, but at the same time Swayamsevaks of the Sangh are free to take part in any political organisation of their choice close to their ideology. They naturally participate in a party which is closer to their ideology, to their way of thinking and samskars and it is, therefore, that from 1951 onwards they participated in the BJS, which was launched by Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee. But there is this difference between BJS which was launched by Dr. Mookerjee and the BJP which has been launched in 1980 that the BJP had its genesis in the issue of the RSS. It was in 1980  that the Janata Party decided by a resolution to prohibit members of the Janata Party from associating with the RSS and on that issue alone BJP was formed.

So while in the case of BJS the linkage was only ideological, in the case of BJP the linkage was both ideological as well as historical. With such a closer link from its origin in 1980 till today, we are about to complete 10 years of existence. There has been a conscious effort on the part of Swayamsevaks who are working in the BJP to make each one understand the ideological base to which we belong, and our connections with the sister organisations, like the VHP, the ABVP, the BMS, the Seva Bharati and the Kalyan Ashram, which are all based on the inspiration from RSS. Everyone working in these organisations is able to appreciate the work that has been done in the political field and I hold that among the various factors which have contributed to the radical change that has come about, the principal factor is the kind of understanding which has developed between the ideological family to which we belong.

In the political field, every party aspires to get maximum representation in parliament and in legislature. We are also interested in projecting the nationalistic viewpoint we represent and the commitment that this is our ancient nation, this is a nation not born in 1947, but is a nation which has a hoary past and whose culture is essentially Hindu Culture, should be reflected in the various policies, programmes, attitudes, positions that we take.

I believe that these samskars that we Swayamsevaks have imbibed from Sangh, the cultural commitment, is the basis of our functioning in politics also during the last few years and as a result of this kind of functioning only we find that in the political field also a change has come about.

In the field of politics where an unhealthy competition is going on, one can never be certain what happens at the end. We have to intensify our efforts, we have to project the viewpoint of RSS, which is not being reflected so that with the instrumentality of the BJP in politics it gets more and more acceptance not only in terms of vote, in terms of parliamentary seats, in terms of assembly seats and in governments, but also in that it comes to be respected.

Very often in these days I come across people who say that the BJP is a very good party even though it is associated with RSS. This kind of remark hurts me very badly. It makes me feel pained and angry and I always make the person who makes this comment to realise that the BJP which you described as a good party is good only because of its association with RSS. Because of the Samskars from RSS, the workers of the BJP have samskars of honesty, samskars of dedication, samskars of discipline, samskars of service, samskars of selflessness and above all commitment to nationalism and patriotism in the true sense of the word. The whole country should understand that whatever good is done in the nation today whether it is through the ABVP or through VHP or through Kalyan Ashram or through the BJP, all that is good and noble is essentially because of the samskars that the workers in these different fields and organisations have imbibed through the Shakhas of the RSS.

(Source: The Organiser, New Delhi, 13 May, 1990)

If they (the Muslims) choose to live like Babars, we (the Hindus) shall become Shivajis and Rana Prataps. — Uma Bharati, BJP MP