World would fall if Hindus disappear, declares Mohan Bhagwat

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on November 22 stirred a major debate with a sweeping assertion that the existence of the world itself is tied to the survival of Hindus.

Addressing a public gathering during his visit to Manipur, Bhagwat said the Hindu society was “immortal” and has endured while mighty global empires faded into history.

“Every nation of the world has seen all kinds of situations. Yunaan (Greece), Misr (Egypt) and Roma — all civilizations disappeared from the face of the earth. There is something in our civilization that we are still here,” he said. According to Bhagwat, India — or Bharat — remains the “custodian of dharma” and the “binding force of humanity”.

“Bharat is the name of an immortal civilization… We have created such a network in our society that the Hindu community will always exist. The world will cease to exist if Hindus cease to exist,” the RSS chief declared during his first visit to Manipur since the ethnic clashes that shook the state.

Bhagwat has previously argued that no one in India is “non-Hindu,” stating that Muslims and Christians are descendants of the same ancestral roots.

Calls for economic power and self-sufficiency

In a strong pitch for national capacity building, Bhagwat said India must develop economic independence to ensure its sovereignty and global influence.

“While building the nation, the first requirement is strength — and strength means economic ability,” he said. Stressing that superiority must not be understood as domination, Bhagwat added, “Our economy must be completely self-reliant. We should not be dependent on anyone.”

The remark comes amid the Centre’s renewed push for swadeshi after the United States, under Donald Trump, imposed steep tariffs — reportedly up to 50% — on several Indian imports.

Bhagwat said the path to self-reliance was achievable if society acts with unity and determination. He cited the decline of Naxalism as an example of collective resolve prevailing over deep-rooted threats, and also recalled India’s long struggle against British colonial rule.

“The sun never used to set on the British Empire. But in India, their sun had already begun to set. We fought for 90 years… sometimes weak, sometimes strong, but we never let our voice die,” he said.

Bhagwat’s remarks — linking the survival of global civilisation with the endurance of Hindu society — are likely to trigger responses across the political, cultural and academic spectrum as Manipur continues to recover from its worst ethnic unrest in decades.