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{{Short description|Sarasanghachalak RSS}}
{{Short description|Leader of RSS (born 1950)}}
{{pp-extended|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
{{Infobox officeholder
| name               = Mohan Madhukar Rao Bhagwat
| name = Mohan Bhagwat
| image               = File:Dr. mohan rao Bhagwat1.jpg
| native_name =
| caption             = Bhagwat at an [[RSS]] event
| image = Dr._mohan_rao_Bhagwat1.jpg
| office             = 6th [[List of Sarsanghchalaks of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh|Sarsanghchalak]] of the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]]
| caption = Bhagwat at an [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh|RSS]] event
| predecessor         = [[K. S. Sudarshan]]
| office = 6th [[Sarsanghchalak]] of the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]]
| successor           = incumbent
| predecessor = [[K. S. Sudarshan]]
| term_start         = {{start date|2009|03|21|df=y}}
| successor = incumbent
| birth_name         = Mohan Madhukarrao Bhagwat
| term_start = 21 March 2009
| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|1950|09|11|df=y}}
| birth_name =  
| birth_place         = [[Chandrapur]], [[Bombay State]] (present-day Maharashtra), [[India]]<ref name=toi_21_3_09/>
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1950|09|11|df=y}}
| relations           = [[Madhukar Rao Bhagwat]] (father)
| birth_place = [[Chandrapur]], [[Madhya Pradesh]] (present-day [[Maharashtra]]), India<ref name=toi_21_3_09/>
| alma_mater         = [[Nagpur Veterinary College]] ([[B.V.Sc.]])
| relations = [[Madhukar Rao Bhagwat]] (father) <br />
| occupation         = Sarasanghachalak (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh).
Malati (mother)
| alma_mater = [[Nagpur Veterinary College]] ([[B.V.Sc.]])
| occupation = [[Sarsanghchalak]], [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh|RSS]]
| office1 = [[Sarkaryavah]] of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
| termend1 = 21 March 2009
| termstart1 = {{Circa|2000}}
| predecessor1 = H. V. Seshadri
| successor1 = [[Suresh Joshi (RSS)|Suresh Joshi]]
}}
}}


'''Mohan Madhukarrao Bhagwat''' ({{IAST-hi1|Mohan Madhukarrao Bhāgvat}}, Marathi pronunciation: [[Help:IPA/Marathi|[moːɦən bʱaːɡʋət̪]]]; born 11 September 1950) is a political activist and veterinarian who is  currently serving as the 6th and current [[Sarsanghchalak]] of the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] in India Since 2009.
'''Mohan Madhukar Bhagwat''' ({{IPA|mr|moːɦən mədʱukəɾ bʱaːɡʋət̪|ipa}}; born 11 September 1950) is the sixth and current ''[[Sarsanghchalak]]'' (Chief) of the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] (RSS), a [[Right-wing politics|right-wing]] [[Hindutva]] [[paramilitary]] organisation, since 2009.


==Early life==
==Early life==
Mohan Madhukar Bhagwat was born in a [[Marathi people|Marathi Karhade Brahmin]] family in [[Chandrapur]], then [[Bombay State]] of India.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7jRWAAAAYAAJ|title=India Today, Volume 34, Issues 9-17|publisher=Thomson Living Media India Limited|year=2009|page=21|quote=Born on September 11, 1950, in a Karhade Brahmin family in Chandrapur, Maharashtra, he began his career as a veterinary officer. His father, Madhukar Rao Bhagwat, was a close associate of Hedgewar and M.S. Golwalkar}}</ref><ref name=toi_21_3_09/><ref>{{cite web|author=Naqvi|first=Saba|date=26 November 2012|title=A Thread That Holds|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/a-thread-that-holds/283005|url-status=live|access-date=23 November 2018|website=[[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook]]}}</ref> He comes from a family of [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh|RSS]] activists.<ref name="toi_21_3_09">{{cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/mohan-bhagwat-a-vet-rss-pracharak-for-over-30-years/story-InbGPrjapapK3lOeP62dLO.html|title=Mohan Bhagwat: A vet, RSS pracharak for over 30 years|author=IANS|website=[[Hindustan Times]]|date=21 March 2009|access-date=16 April 2018|author-link=Indo-Asian News Service}}</ref> His father [[Madhukar Rao Bhagwat]], was the ''Karyavah'' (secretary) for the Chandrapur zone and later a ''Prant Pracharak'' (provincial promoter) for [[Gujarat]].<ref name=toi_21_3_09/> His mother Malati was a member of the [[Rashtra Sevika Samiti|RSS Women's Wing]].<ref>{{cite news|author=Dahat|first=Pavan|date=29 April 2017|title=Who is Mohan Bhagwat?|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/who-is-mohan-bhagwat/article18311643.ece|access-date=23 November 2018}}</ref>
Mohan Madhukar Bhagwat was born in a [[Marathi people|Marathi Karhade Brahmin]] family in [[Chandrapur]], then in the state of undivided [[Madhya Pradesh]] in present-day [[Maharashtra]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7jRWAAAAYAAJ|title=India Today, Volume 34, Issues 9-17|publisher=Thomson Living Media India Limited|year=2009|page=21|quote=Born on September 11, 1950, in a Daivdanya Brahmin family in Chandrapur, Maharashtra, he began his career as a veterinary officer. His father, Madhukar Rao Bhagwat, was a close associate of Hedgewar and M.S. Golwalkar}}</ref><ref name="toi_21_3_09" /><ref>{{cite web|author=Naqvi|first=Saba|date=26 November 2012|title=A Thread That Holds|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/a-thread-that-holds/283005|access-date=23 November 2018|website=[[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook]]|archive-date=24 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180924190207/https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/a-thread-that-holds/283005|url-status=live}}</ref> He comes from a family of [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh|RSS]] activists.<ref name="toi_21_3_09">{{cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/mohan-bhagwat-a-vet-rss-pracharak-for-over-30-years/story-InbGPrjapapK3lOeP62dLO.html|title=Mohan Bhagwat: A vet, RSS pracharak for over 30 years|author=IANS|website=[[Hindustan Times]]|date=21 March 2009|access-date=16 April 2018|author-link=Indo-Asian News Service|archive-date=17 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180417023522/https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/mohan-bhagwat-a-vet-rss-pracharak-for-over-30-years/story-InbGPrjapapK3lOeP62dLO.html|url-status=live}}</ref> His father [[Madhukar Rao Bhagwat]] was the ''Karyavah'' (secretary) for the Chandrapur zone and later a ''Prant Pracharak'' (provincial promoter) for [[Gujarat]].<ref name=toi_21_3_09/> His mother Malati was a member of the [[Rashtra Sevika Samiti|RSS Women's Wing]].<ref>{{cite news|author=Dahat|first=Pavan|date=29 April 2017|title=Who is Mohan Bhagwat?|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/who-is-mohan-bhagwat/article18311643.ece|access-date=23 November 2018|archive-date=20 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200420093517/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/who-is-mohan-bhagwat/article18311643.ece|url-status=live}}</ref>


Bhagwat completed his schooling from 'Lokmanya Tilak Vidyalaya' and then the first year of his BSc from the Janata College in Chandrapur. He graduated in [[Veterinary Science]]s and [[Animal Husbandry]] from Government Veterinary College, Nagpur. He dropped out of his postgraduate course in Veterinary Sciences and became a ''[[pracharak]]'' (full-time promoter/worker) of the RSS towards the end of 1975.<ref name=toi_21_3_09/>
Bhagwat completed his schooling from Lokmanya Tilak Vidyalaya and then the first year of his [[Bachelor of Science|B.Sc.]] from the Janata College in [[Chandrapur]]. He graduated in [[Veterinary Science]]s and [[Animal Husbandry]] from [[Nagpur Veterinary College|Government Veterinary College]], [[Nagpur]]. He dropped out of his postgraduate course in Veterinary Sciences and became a ''[[Pracharak]]'' (full-time promoter/worker) of the RSS towards the end of 1975.<ref name=toi_21_3_09/>


==Association with RSS==
==Association with the RSS==
After working underground during the [[The Emergency (India)#The role of RSS|Emergency]], Bhagwat became the 'Pracharak' of [[Akola]] in Maharashtra in 1977 and rose within the organisation responsible for [[Nagpur]] and [[Vidarbha]] regions.<ref name=toi_21_3_09/>
After working underground during the [[The Emergency (India)|Emergency]], Bhagwat became the ''Pracharak'' of [[Akola]] in Maharashtra in 1977 and rose within the organisation responsible for [[Nagpur]] and [[Vidarbha]] regions.<ref name=toi_21_3_09/>


He became '[[Akhil Bharatiya Sharirik Pramukh]]', (in-charge of physical training) for India, 1991 to 1999. He was further promoted as 'Akhil Bharatiya Pracharak Pramukh,' (in-charge of RSS volunteers working full-time for India).
Following the tenure of H. V. Seshadri as the ''[[Sarkaryavah]]'' (General Secretary), Bhagwat held the office from 2000 to 2009. Bhagwat was chosen as the ''[[Sarsanghchalak]]'' (Chief) of the RSS on 21 March 2009. He is one of the youngest leaders to head the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] after [[K. B. Hedgewar]] and [[M. S. Golwalkar]].<ref name=toi_21_3_09/>


In 2000, when [[Rajendra Singh (RSS)|Rajendra Singh]] and {{Interlanguage link|H. V. Sheshadri|lt=H. V. Sheshadri|fr}} decided to step down as RSS Chief and general secretary respectively due to poor health, [[K. S. Sudarshan]] was nominated as the new chief and Bhagwat became 'Sarkaryavah,' (general secretary).
In 2017, Bhagwat became the first RSS Chief to be officially invited to the [[Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi|Rashtrapati Bhawan]] by then President [[Pranab Mukherjee]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Singh|first=Sanjay|date=16 June 2017|title=Mohan Bhagwat's presidential lunch reaffirms rise of RSS; no second term for Pranab Mukherjee|work=Firstpost|url=https://www.firstpost.com/politics/mohan-bhagwats-presidential-lunch-reaffirms-rise-of-rss-no-second-term-for-pranab-mukherjee-3699343.html|access-date=25 August 2020|archive-date=2 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102223956/https://www.firstpost.com/politics/mohan-bhagwats-presidential-lunch-reaffirms-rise-of-rss-no-second-term-for-pranab-mukherjee-3699343.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In September 2018, Mohan Bhagwat presided over a three-day session at [[Vigyan Bhawan]] in Delhi as part of outreach to a wider public, where he said that RSS has discarded some parts of [[M. S. Golwalkar]]'s ''Bunch of Thoughts'' which were no longer relevant to the current circumstances.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mohan Bhagwat: RSS has discarded chunks of Golwalkar's thoughts |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/rss-has-discarded-chunks-of-golwalkars-thoughts-mohan-bhagwat/articleshow/65879084.cms |access-date=7 February 2021 |work=The Times of India |date=20 September 2018 |language=en |archive-date=13 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190813174357/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/rss-has-discarded-chunks-of-golwalkars-thoughts-mohan-bhagwat/articleshow/65879084.cms |url-status=live }}</ref>


Bhagwat was chosen as the [[Sarsanghchalak]] (Chief Executive) of the RSS on 21 March 2009. He is one of the youngest leaders to head the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] after [[K. B. Hedgewar]] and [[M. S. Golwalkar]].<ref name=toi_21_3_09/>
==Ideology and views==
In a rally in Madhya Pradesh in February 2017, Bhagwat asserted "Everyone born in the country is a Hindu – of these some are idol-worshipers and some are not. Even Muslims are Hindus by nationality, they are Muslims by faith only."<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Pal |first=Rajesh |date=14 February 2018 |title=5 Times Mohan Bhagwat, RSS Supremo, Stirred Controversy |url=https://www.thequint.com/news/india/rss-chief-mohan-bhagwat-army-women-controversial-statements |website=[[The Quint]]}}</ref> Some months later, Bhagwat reaffirmed this, stating that Hinduism was the only true religion in the world, and that all other religions were merely sects that had originated from Hinduism.<ref>{{Cite news|date=11 September 2017|first=Kautilya|last=Singh|title=Hinduism only true religion in world, those who want to return to its fold are welcome: Mohan Bhagwat|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/hinduism-only-true-religion-in-world-those-who-want-to-return-to-its-fold-are-welcome-mohan-bhagwat/articleshow/60467050.cms|access-date=21 November 2020|work=The Times of India|language=en|archive-date=25 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210725103213/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/hinduism-only-true-religion-in-world-those-who-want-to-return-to-its-fold-are-welcome-mohan-bhagwat/articleshow/60467050.cms|url-status=live}}</ref> Bhagwat has also frequently shown his belief in [[Love jihad conspiracy theory|love jihad]], an [[Islamophobia|Islamophobic]] [[conspiracy theory]] promoted by supporters of [[Hindutva]], which alleges that Muslim men target Hindu women through means such as seduction, deception, kidnapping, and marriage, as part of a "demographic war" and a broader global conspiracy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Narayanan |first=Dinesh |date=26 February 2015 |title=Why Mohan Bhagwat’s Recent Statements are a testament to the RSS’s core ideology |url=https://caravanmagazine.in/vantage/why-mohan-bhagwats-recent-statements-are-testament-rsss-core-ideology |website=[[The Caravan (magazine)|The Caravan]]}}</ref>


In June 2015, due to a high threat perception from various [[Islamic terrorism|Islamist terrorist organisations]],<ref>{{cite news |title=RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat gets 'Z+' VVIP security cover |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/rss-chief-mohan-bhagwat-gets-z-vvip-security-cover/articleshow/47574108.cms |newspaper=[[The Economic Times]] |access-date=23 November 2018 |date=8 June 2015}}</ref> the government of India ordered the [[Central Industrial Security Force]] (CISF) to provide Bhagwat with round-the-clock protection. At [[Z+ VVIP]] security cover, Bhagwat is one of the most protected Indians today.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/rss-chief-mohan-bhagwat-gets-z-vvip-security-cover/article1-1356063.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150608102724/http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/rss-chief-mohan-bhagwat-gets-z-vvip-security-cover/article1-1356063.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 June 2015|title=RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat gets Z+ VVIP security cover|work=[[Hindustan Times]]|date=8 June 2015|access-date=16 April 2018}}</ref>
In 2019, he stated that the Sangh is not confined to any singular ideology or ideologue. He asserted that while the core principle of the RSS is the belief that India is a Hindu Rashtra—a concept considered non-negotiable by the organisation—it should not be categorised under any specific ideological framework, including that articulated in [[M. S. Golwalkar]]’s ''Bunch of Thoughts''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=RSS Can't Be Bracketed Into Any Ideology, Says Chief Mohan Bhagwat |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/rss-cant-be-bracketed-into-any-ideology-says-chief-mohan-bhagwat-2110505 |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=www.ndtv.com |language=en}}</ref>
In 2017, Bhagwat became the first RSS Chief to be officially invited to the [[Rashtrapati Bhawan]] by then President [[Pranab Mukherjee]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Singh|first=Sanjay|date=16 June 2017|title=Mohan Bhagwat's presidential lunch reaffirms rise of RSS; no second term for Pranab Mukherjee|work=Firstpost|url=https://www.firstpost.com/politics/mohan-bhagwats-presidential-lunch-reaffirms-rise-of-rss-no-second-term-for-pranab-mukherjee-3699343.html|access-date=25 August 2020}}</ref> In September 2018, Mohan Bhagwat presided over a 3-day session at Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi as part of reaching out to wider public. That time, he said that RSS has discarded some parts of [[M. S. Golwalkar]]’s "Bunch of Thoughts" which are no longer relevant to the current circumstances.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mohan Bhagwat: RSS has discarded chunks of Golwalkar's thoughts |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/rss-has-discarded-chunks-of-golwalkars-thoughts-mohan-bhagwat/articleshow/65879084.cms |access-date=7 February 2021 |work=The Times of India |date=20 September 2018 |language=en}}</ref>


==Opinion==
In November 2021, Mohan Bhagwat publicly expressed his [[Opposition to the partition of India|opposition to the Partition of India]] and voiced his support for the [[Indian reunification|reunification of the Indian subcontinent]]. He stated, "The only solution to the pain of [[Partition of India|Partition]] lies in undoing it," thereby advocating for the reversal of the territorial division that occurred in 1947.<ref>{{cite web |title=Solution to pain of Partition is undoing it: Mohan Bhagwat |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/solution-to-pain-of-partition-is-undoing-it-mohan-bhagwat-7641842 |website=[[The Indian Express]] |access-date=9 December 2021 |date=26 November 2021 |archive-date=9 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209061114/https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/solution-to-pain-of-partition-is-undoing-it-mohan-bhagwat-7641842/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Naqvi |first1=Jawed |title=The fuss about 'reunification' |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1661097 |website=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]] |access-date=9 December 2021 |date=30 November 2021 |archive-date=9 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209061111/https://www.dawn.com/news/1661097 |url-status=live }}</ref>
In November 2016, while addressing a 'Prerna Shibir' on the 80th anniversary of [[Rashtra Sevika Samiti]], the women's wing of the RSS, Mohan Bhagwat said that ''[[Homo sapiens]]'' ate into the space of other species of genus ''Homo'', like ''[[Homo floresiensis]]'' and [[Neanderthal]]s, in the past, but even ''Homo sapiens'' could go extinct in the next thousand years.<ref>{{cite news|last=Agha|first=Eram|date=11 November 2016|title=Indian Way of Life Only Option Left for World: RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat|language=en|work=News18|editor-last=Beg|editor-first=Mirza Arif|url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/indian-way-of-life-only-option-left-for-world-rss-chief-mohan-bhagwat-1311080.html|access-date=7 February 2021}}</ref>


Bhagwat was quoted in September 2017 for saying "Hinduism was the only true religion in the world and other religions were just sects which emerged from Hinduism."<ref>{{Cite news|date=11 September 2017|first=Kautilya|last=Singh|title=Hinduism only true religion in world, those who want to return to its fold are welcome: Mohan Bhagwat|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/hinduism-only-true-religion-in-world-those-who-want-to-return-to-its-fold-are-welcome-mohan-bhagwat/articleshow/60467050.cms|access-date=21 November 2020|work=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref>
In January 2025, Bhagwat said that India got its "true independence" with consecration of [[Ram Mandir|Ram Temple]] in [[Ayodhya]], on the site of the five-century-old [[Babri Masjid|Babri Mosque]] which had been [[Demolition of the Babri Masjid|demolished in 1992]].<ref>{{cite web |last= |first= |date=2025-01-14 |title=When is India's Independence Day? Not August 15, 1947, per Mohan Bhagwat, Kangana Ranaut et al |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/gallery/when-is-indias-independence-day-not-august-15-1947-per-mohan-bhagwat-kangana-ranaut-et-al-photogallery/cid/2077432?slide=3 |access-date=2025-01-14 |website=Telegraph India}}</ref>


In November 2021, Mohan Bhagwat expressed [[opposition to the partition of India]] and advocacy for [[Indian reunification]], declaring "The only solution to the pain of Partition lies in undoing it."<ref>{{cite web |title=Solution to pain of Partition is undoing it: Mohan Bhagwat |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/solution-to-pain-of-partition-is-undoing-it-mohan-bhagwat-7641842 |website=[[The Indian Express]] |access-date=9 December 2021 |date=26 November 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Naqvi |first1=Jawed |title=The fuss about 'reunification' |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1661097 |website=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]] |access-date=9 December 2021 |date=30 November 2021}}</ref>
==Award==
In 2017 the state-run Animal and Fishery Sciences University in [[Nagpur]] gave Mohan Bhagwat an honorary [[Doctor of Science]] degree.<ref>{{cite web|author=Maitra|first=Pradip Kumar|date=7 March 2017|title=RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to get honorary doctorate in veterinary sciences|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/rss-chief-mohan-bhagwat-to-get-honorary-doctorate-in-veterinary-sciences/story-tXToPsI08lUImMjLdSW6BM.html|access-date=16 April 2018|website=[[Hindustan Times]]|archive-date=16 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180416200516/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/rss-chief-mohan-bhagwat-to-get-honorary-doctorate-in-veterinary-sciences/story-tXToPsI08lUImMjLdSW6BM.html|url-status=live}}</ref>


In October 2022, during a speech on the occasion of [[Vijayadashami]], Bhagwat stressed on the need for family planning, and imbalance in population across the country. He urged the government to bring in suitable reforms on the same issue.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-10-05 |title=Mohan Bhagwat's remarks on population 'balanced', he didn't point fingers at particular community: S Y Quraishi |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/bhagwats-remarks-on-population-balanced-s-y-quraishi-8191858/ |access-date=2022-10-10 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref>
== Bibliography ==


In January 2023, Bhagwat advocated support towards the [[LGBT rights in India|LGBT community in India.]] He stated that "People with such proclivities have always been there; for as long as humans have existed... This is biological, a mode of life"<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mahajan |first=Shruti |date=2023-01-12 |title=Powerful India Hindu Group Hints at Support for LGBTQ Couples |language=en |work=[[Bloomberg News]] |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-12/powerful-india-hindu-group-hints-at-support-for-lgbtq-couples |access-date=2023-01-13}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |title=Mohan Bhagwat, chief of influential Hindu group RSS, expresses support to LGBTQ community |url=https://www.wionews.com/india-news/mohan-bhagwat-chief-of-influential-hindu-group-rss-supports-lgbtq-community-551696 |access-date=2023-01-12 |website=WION}}</ref>
* ''[[Yashaswi]] Bharat''. [[Prabhat Prakashan]], 2021<ref>{{Cite web|last=Anand|first=Arun|date=13 December 2020|title=Know what RSS under Mohan Bhagwat stands for and how it's changing in this new book|url=https://theprint.in/india/know-what-rss-under-mohan-bhagwat-stands-for-and-how-its-changing-in-this-new-book/565424/|access-date=26 November 2021|website=ThePrint|language=en-US|archive-date=26 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211126051825/https://theprint.in/india/know-what-rss-under-mohan-bhagwat-stands-for-and-how-its-changing-in-this-new-book/565424/|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
==Awards and recognition==
In 2017, the state-run Animal and Fishery Sciences University awarded Mohan Bhagwat with an honorary doctor of science (DSc) degree during its convocation ceremony in Nagpur.<ref>{{cite web|author=Maitra|first=Pradip Kumar|date=7 March 2017|title=RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to get honorary doctorate in veterinary sciences|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/rss-chief-mohan-bhagwat-to-get-honorary-doctorate-in-veterinary-sciences/story-tXToPsI08lUImMjLdSW6BM.html|url-status=live|access-date=16 April 2018|website=[[Hindustan Times]]}}</ref>
 
== Further reading ==
 
* ''[[Yashaswi]] Bharat''. [[Prabhat Prakashan]], 2021,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Anand|first=Arun|date=13 December 2020|title=Know what RSS under Mohan Bhagwat stands for and how it's changing in this new book|url=https://theprint.in/india/know-what-rss-under-mohan-bhagwat-stands-for-and-how-its-changing-in-this-new-book/565424/|url-status=live|access-date=26 November 2021|website=ThePrint|language=en-US}}</ref> (with a preface by M.G. Vaidya).<ref>{{Cite news|last=|first=|authors=IANS|date=14 December 2020|title='Yashasvi Bharat' talks about Hindu as worshippers of unity in diversity|url=https://www.sentinelassam.com/national-news/yashasvi-bharat-talks-about-hindu-as-worshippers-of-unity-in-diversity-516127|url-status=live|access-date=26 November 2021|work=Sentinel Assam}}</ref>
* Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat launched a mobile app developed to make more accessible works of "national" thinkers called Audio Kumbh.<ref>{{Cite news |last=NDTV |first=NDTV |date=9 September 2021 |title=RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat Launches Mobile App On "National" Thinkers |work=NDTV |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/rss-chief-mohan-bhagwat-launches-mobile-app-on-national-thinkers-2535912}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/state/bihar/patna/rss-chief-mohan-bhagwat-launches-audio-kumbh-mobile-app/articleshow/86075866.cms | title=आरएसएस प्रमुख मोहन भागवत ने 'ऑडियो कुंभ' मोबाइल ऐप का लोकार्पण किया }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.lokmatnews.in/india/rss-chief-mohan-bhagwat-launches-audio-kumbh-mobile-app-b421/ | title=आरएसएस प्रमुख मोहन भागवत ने 'ऑडियो कुंभ' मोबाइल ऐप का लोकार्पण किया }}</ref>


==References==
==References==
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== External links ==
== External links ==
 
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| title = [[Sarsanghchalak|Sarsanghchalak of the RSS]]
| title = [[Sarsanghchalak]]
| before = [[K. S. Sudarshan]]
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[[Category:Activists from Maharashtra]]
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[[Category:Sarkaryavahs]]
[[Category:Indian Hindus]]
[[Category:Indian Hindus]]
[[Category:Hindu nationalists]]
[[Category:People from Chandrapur]]
[[Category:People from Chandrapur]]
[[Category:Hindu revivalists]]
[[Category:Indian Hindu religious leaders]]

Latest revision as of 03:33, 9 February 2026


Mohan Bhagwat
Bhagwat at an RSS event
6th Sarsanghchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
Assumed office
21 March 2009
Preceded byK. S. Sudarshan
Sarkaryavah of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
In office
c. 2000 – 21 March 2009
Preceded byH. V. Seshadri
Succeeded bySuresh Joshi
Personal details
Born (1950-09-11) 11 September 1950 (age 75)
Chandrapur, Madhya Pradesh (present-day Maharashtra), India[1]
RelationsMadhukar Rao Bhagwat (father)
Malati (mother)
Alma materNagpur Veterinary College (B.V.Sc.)
OccupationSarsanghchalak, RSS

Mohan Madhukar Bhagwat (mr; born 11 September 1950) is the sixth and current Sarsanghchalak (Chief) of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right-wing Hindutva paramilitary organisation, since 2009.

Early life[edit | edit source]

Mohan Madhukar Bhagwat was born in a Marathi Karhade Brahmin family in Chandrapur, then in the state of undivided Madhya Pradesh in present-day Maharashtra.[2][1][3] He comes from a family of RSS activists.[1] His father Madhukar Rao Bhagwat was the Karyavah (secretary) for the Chandrapur zone and later a Prant Pracharak (provincial promoter) for Gujarat.[1] His mother Malati was a member of the RSS Women's Wing.[4]

Bhagwat completed his schooling from Lokmanya Tilak Vidyalaya and then the first year of his B.Sc. from the Janata College in Chandrapur. He graduated in Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry from Government Veterinary College, Nagpur. He dropped out of his postgraduate course in Veterinary Sciences and became a Pracharak (full-time promoter/worker) of the RSS towards the end of 1975.[1]

Association with the RSS[edit | edit source]

After working underground during the Emergency, Bhagwat became the Pracharak of Akola in Maharashtra in 1977 and rose within the organisation responsible for Nagpur and Vidarbha regions.[1]

Following the tenure of H. V. Seshadri as the Sarkaryavah (General Secretary), Bhagwat held the office from 2000 to 2009. Bhagwat was chosen as the Sarsanghchalak (Chief) of the RSS on 21 March 2009. He is one of the youngest leaders to head the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh after K. B. Hedgewar and M. S. Golwalkar.[1]

In 2017, Bhagwat became the first RSS Chief to be officially invited to the Rashtrapati Bhawan by then President Pranab Mukherjee.[5] In September 2018, Mohan Bhagwat presided over a three-day session at Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi as part of outreach to a wider public, where he said that RSS has discarded some parts of M. S. Golwalkar's Bunch of Thoughts which were no longer relevant to the current circumstances.[6]

Ideology and views[edit | edit source]

In a rally in Madhya Pradesh in February 2017, Bhagwat asserted "Everyone born in the country is a Hindu – of these some are idol-worshipers and some are not. Even Muslims are Hindus by nationality, they are Muslims by faith only."[7] Some months later, Bhagwat reaffirmed this, stating that Hinduism was the only true religion in the world, and that all other religions were merely sects that had originated from Hinduism.[8] Bhagwat has also frequently shown his belief in love jihad, an Islamophobic conspiracy theory promoted by supporters of Hindutva, which alleges that Muslim men target Hindu women through means such as seduction, deception, kidnapping, and marriage, as part of a "demographic war" and a broader global conspiracy.[9]

In 2019, he stated that the Sangh is not confined to any singular ideology or ideologue. He asserted that while the core principle of the RSS is the belief that India is a Hindu Rashtra—a concept considered non-negotiable by the organisation—it should not be categorised under any specific ideological framework, including that articulated in M. S. Golwalkar’s Bunch of Thoughts.[10]

In November 2021, Mohan Bhagwat publicly expressed his opposition to the Partition of India and voiced his support for the reunification of the Indian subcontinent. He stated, "The only solution to the pain of Partition lies in undoing it," thereby advocating for the reversal of the territorial division that occurred in 1947.[11][12]

In January 2025, Bhagwat said that India got its "true independence" with consecration of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, on the site of the five-century-old Babri Mosque which had been demolished in 1992.[13]

Award[edit | edit source]

In 2017 the state-run Animal and Fishery Sciences University in Nagpur gave Mohan Bhagwat an honorary Doctor of Science degree.[14]

Bibliography[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 IANS (21 March 2009). "Mohan Bhagwat: A vet, RSS pracharak for over 30 years". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 17 April 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  2. ↑ India Today, Volume 34, Issues 9-17. Thomson Living Media India Limited. 2009. p. 21. Born on September 11, 1950, in a Daivdanya Brahmin family in Chandrapur, Maharashtra, he began his career as a veterinary officer. His father, Madhukar Rao Bhagwat, was a close associate of Hedgewar and M.S. Golwalkar
  3. ↑ Naqvi, Saba (26 November 2012). "A Thread That Holds". Outlook. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  4. ↑ Dahat, Pavan (29 April 2017). "Who is Mohan Bhagwat?". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 20 April 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  5. ↑ Singh, Sanjay (16 June 2017). "Mohan Bhagwat's presidential lunch reaffirms rise of RSS; no second term for Pranab Mukherjee". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 2 January 2020. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  6. ↑ "Mohan Bhagwat: RSS has discarded chunks of Golwalkar's thoughts". The Times of India. 20 September 2018. Archived from the original on 13 August 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  7. ↑ Pal, Rajesh (14 February 2018). "5 Times Mohan Bhagwat, RSS Supremo, Stirred Controversy". The Quint.
  8. ↑ Singh, Kautilya (11 September 2017). "Hinduism only true religion in world, those who want to return to its fold are welcome: Mohan Bhagwat". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 25 July 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  9. ↑ Narayanan, Dinesh (26 February 2015). "Why Mohan Bhagwat's Recent Statements are a testament to the RSS's core ideology". The Caravan.
  10. ↑ "RSS Can't Be Bracketed Into Any Ideology, Says Chief Mohan Bhagwat". www.ndtv.com. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  11. ↑ "Solution to pain of Partition is undoing it: Mohan Bhagwat". The Indian Express. 26 November 2021. Archived from the original on 9 December 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  12. ↑ Naqvi, Jawed (30 November 2021). "The fuss about 'reunification'". Dawn. Archived from the original on 9 December 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  13. ↑ "When is India's Independence Day? Not August 15, 1947, per Mohan Bhagwat, Kangana Ranaut et al". Telegraph India. 14 January 2025. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
  14. ↑ Maitra, Pradip Kumar (7 March 2017). "RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to get honorary doctorate in veterinary sciences". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 16 April 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  15. ↑ Anand, Arun (13 December 2020). "Know what RSS under Mohan Bhagwat stands for and how it's changing in this new book". ThePrint. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.

External links[edit | edit source]

Political offices
Preceded by
K. S. Sudarshan 		Sarsanghchalak
21 March 2009–present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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