CM Bhajan Lal Sharma greets RSS volunteers on Foundation Day
Synopsis
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma marked RSS Foundation Day on 20 October 2026 by saluting the organisation's century-old service tradition and connecting the Sangh's collective resolve to Prime Minister Modi's Viksit Bharat development goal.
Key Takeaways
Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal Sharma greeted RSS volunteers on Foundation Day, 20 October 2026 .
He described the RSS as the world's largest voluntary organisation, rooted in service, dedication and cultural values.
Sharma explicitly linked the Sangh's volunteer ethos to the Viksit Bharat (Developed India by 2047) national goal.
The RSS was founded on Vijayadashami 1925 by Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in Nagpur .
Sharma is a long-time Sangh pracharak-turned-politician, making the tribute more than routine party protocol.
BJP leaders across the country routinely issue similar greetings on RSS Foundation Day each year.
On the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's Foundation Day, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma extended warm greetings to volunteers of what he called the world's largest voluntary organisation, invoking its century-old tradition of service and cultural discipline as a living force behind India's development ambitions.
Posting in Hindi on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, Sharma wrote: 'Seva, samarpan aur sanskaron se rashtra-jeevan ko seenchne wali Sangh ki gauravshali parampara' — 'the Sangh's glorious tradition of nurturing national life through service, dedication and values' — inspires countless volunteers to fulfil their duties toward the nation. He added that this collective resolve is 'our strength to realise the dream of a Viksit Bharat' (Developed India).
A century-old organisation, a recurring annual tribute
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was founded on Vijayadashami, 1925 by Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in Nagpur. The organisation, which describes its mission as character-building and social service rooted in Hindu cultural values, marks Vijayadashami each year as its official foundation day. Over the decades it has grown into one of the largest volunteer networks in the world, with millions of active members and an extensive network of affiliated organisations spanning education, labour, tribals and farmers.
For BJP leaders — who share deep ideological and organisational roots with the Sangh — Foundation Day greetings have become a reliable annual ritual. The messages are rarely ceremonial in a vacuum: they simultaneously reaffirm personal allegiance, signal political alignment, and underscore the BJP's self-positioning as the electoral expression of the Sangh's civilisational project.
Sharma's framing: from volunteers to Viksit Bharat
What sets Sharma's message apart from a generic greeting is the deliberate link he draws between the Sangh's grassroots volunteer culture and the central government's flagship development vision. By anchoring RSS tradition to Viksit Bharat — Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stated goal of making India a fully developed nation by 2047 — the Chief Minister positions Rajasthan's BJP government as a conscious participant in that larger national mission.
Sharma, who took charge as Rajasthan's Chief Minister in December 2023 after the BJP's decisive state election victory, is himself a long-time Sangh pracharak-turned-politician, lending the tribute an added layer of personal resonance beyond routine party protocol.
Point of View
He frames the Sangh not merely as a cultural body but as a structural pillar of India's 2047 development roadmap. For a CM who is himself a former Sangh pracharak, the tribute also functions as a statement of personal credibility within the larger Sangh parivar ecosystem. Expect similar messaging from BJP state governments across India on the same date — a coordinated annual reaffirmation of the party-Sangh continuum.
NationPress
20 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
When is RSS Foundation Day celebrated?
The RSS Foundation Day is celebrated every year on Vijayadashami, which marks the day the organisation was founded in 1925 by Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in Nagpur . In 2026, this fell on 20 October .
Why did CM Bhajan Lal Sharma congratulate RSS volunteers?
As a BJP Chief Minister and former RSS pracharak, Sharma extended greetings to mark the Sangh's Foundation Day, praising its tradition of service and linking it to the Viksit Bharat national development vision.
What is Viksit Bharat and how does it relate to the RSS?
'Viksit Bharat' is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's goal of making India a fully developed nation by 2047 . Sharma connected the RSS's volunteer culture and collective resolve to this development ambition in his Foundation Day message.
Who founded the RSS and when?
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was founded by Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar on Vijayadashami, 1925 , in Nagpur, Maharashtra .
Is Bhajan Lal Sharma associated with the RSS?
Yes. Bhajan Lal Sharma , who became Rajasthan Chief Minister in December 2023 , has a background as an RSS pracharak before rising through BJP politics, making his Foundation Day tribute a matter of personal conviction as well as party custom.
