‘Muh se Swadeshi, Mann se Videshi’: Akhilesh Yadav Slams RSS After PM Modi’s Praise

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s unprecedented praise for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) during his Independence Day address has ignited a political firestorm, with opposition leaders launching a sharp counter-attack. Leading the charge, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday delivered a biting critique, accusing the organisation of being “swadeshi by words but foreigner by heart” (“muh se toh swadeshi hai lekin mann se videshi hai”).

Speaking to reporters in Lucknow, Yadav contended that the RSS’s ideology is fundamentally at odds with the nation’s secular and socialist fabric. He recalled that at its first convention, the BJP had decided to follow a secular and socialist path, but argued that the Sangh Parivar’s approach is not the same. His comments were a direct rebuttal to the Prime Minister, who, from the ramparts of the Red Fort, had lauded the RSS’s 100-year journey, describing it as the “largest NGO in the world” and praising its “unparalleled discipline” and role in nation-building.

Yadav also took a swipe at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, alleging he was “neither a BJP member nor did he like the party’s ideology,” claiming he only joined to secure the chief minister’s chair. He further called for the Agniveer scheme to be abolished and urged the nation to be prepared to face global challenges, from market pressures to threats on its borders.

The criticism was not limited to the Samajwadi Party. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi called the Prime Minister’s remarks a “breach of constitutional values” and an insult to the freedom struggle. “The ideology of Hindutva believes in exclusion and is antithetical to the values of our Constitution. Modi could have gone to Nagpur to praise RSS as a Swayamsevak, why did he have to do it from the Red Fort as the Prime Minister?” Owaisi questioned in a post on X.

Similarly, the Congress party strongly condemned the speech. Senior leader Jairam Ramesh described the mention of the RSS from the Red Fort as a “blatant breach of the spirit of a constitutional, secular republic,” dismissing it as a desperate attempt by the Prime Minister to appease the organization.