‘No Caste, It Exists For Concession & Elections’: Mohan Bhagwat Says RSS Believes ‘We’re All Hindus’ | India News

RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat addresses the ‘100 Years of Sangh Journey: New Horizons’ event, in Bengaluru on November 9, 2025. (Image: PTI/File)

There is no caste system as caste now only exists for “concession and elections”, said RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday.

Reiterating that the RSS believes everyone is a Hindu, Mohan Bhagwat said there is no need to eradicate caste but forget it altogether by drawing a “bigger line” as the Sangh does.

“Caste system is no more a system. It is caste confusion. Caste traditionally means one caste, one job… Now anybody can do any job. There is no system, but caste exists for concession and elections. There is no need to make an effort to eradicate caste. There is a need to make an effort to forget caste,” Bhagwat said while addressing  the ‘100 Years of Sangh Journey: New Horizons’, a two-day lecture series in Bengaluru.

He was responding to a question on the link between religion and caste and steps taken to eradicate the caste system. He was asked if the RSS can intimate inter-caste marriages, and if there is a need to stop categorising students as per caste in schools and colleges.

“In Sangh, we don’t say we belong to a particular caste, we say we all are Hindus, we draw a bigger line. That automatically removes caste. Caste resides in our mind. That must be removed and Sangh works on this,” he said.

Bhagwat said society has to train itself so that the “caste problem” can be eradicated in 10 years. “We have been trying to do so for thousands of years. Every saint has asked us to forget caste and untouchability, but it has not gone. If you try to beat darkness with a stick it will not go away. Light a small lamp and it will go away. We must light the lamp and stop beating darkness with sticks…” he said.

‘COVERT UNTOUCHABILITY STILL AT WORK’

Bhagwat’s reflections on caste led to comments on reservation and meritocracy, for which he said India has not been able to do away with the former because people have not received equal opportunities, love, and respect.

“The only way to stop reservation is to create equality of opportunities, love and respect. That has not happened. There is covert untouchability still at work and that is the cruel fact of our lives,” he said. 

He stressed that while reservation and meritocracy are not related, there is umpteen talent in the sections that require reservation.  

“Reservation and meritocracy are not related. Talent is in the section of society that requires reservation. There, too, very good talent exists so don’t relate the two. We need to bring every section of society at par,” he said.

The RSS chief said there are those from the backward classes who now say they do not reservation and to give theirs to those worthy. He said let reservation continue for inequality to be eradicated so that a system emerges when there is “no heartburn”.

“We were takers until now – we asked for boons, we got it, and now we have to give back. We must be givers…we must be patient. Let the reservations continue and let inequality be eradicated and then a system will emerge where there will be no heart burn,” he said.

On “brain drain”, he pointed out that this exists in all sections of society whether BC, OBC and non-BC. He said the youth is leaving the country to settle abroad and not returning. 

“Brain drain is in all sections – BC, OBC and non BC and OBC sections of society. There are also youth going out, who settle abroad and don’t come back. It is concerned with our selfishness. Our leaders like Yogi Arvind deliberately failed his exams to serve the country, Subhas Chandra Bose had much scope out of India, but they wanted to work for India and countrymen. This urge we must encourage and recreate. There is a reverse flow happening now, and young people are coming back. They go there for facilities,” he added.