CM Majhi pays tribute to Dattopant Thengadi on birth anniversary
Synopsis
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi paid tribute to Dattopant Thengadi on his birth anniversary, honouring the RSS pracharak who founded Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh in 1955 and Bharatiya Kisan Sangh in 1978 to champion workers, farmers and the youth.
Key Takeaways
Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi posted a tribute to Dattopant Thengadi on 10 November 2026 .
Thengadi founded Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh in 1955 to organise workers on RSS-aligned nationalist principles.
He also established Bharatiya Kisan Sangh in 1978 to represent farmers from a nationalist perspective.
Majhi's tribute cited Thengadi's dedication to nation-building and welfare of labourers, farmers and youth.
The BJP assumed power in Odisha in 2024 , with labour and farmer welfare as stated priorities.
A founding architect of India's nationalist labour and farmer movements, Dattopant Thengadi turned an inspiration for millions of workers and cultivators — and on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi marked his birth anniversary with a heartfelt salute.
Posting in Odia, CM Majhi wrote: 'Aganita karyakartanka preranapunja adaraniya Dattopant Thengadijinka jayantire bhaktiputa pranama' — 'Reverential homage on the birth anniversary of the beloved Dattopant Thengadi, a wellspring of inspiration for countless workers. His life and ideals, devoted to nation-building alongside the welfare of labourers, farmers and the youth, will always inspire us.'
The man who built two movements from scratch
Thengadi was no ordinary Sangh figure. An RSS pracharak by training, he channelled organisational discipline into two enduring institutions: the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, which he founded in 1955 to organise workers on nationalist principles, and the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, launched in 1978 to bring farmers into a similar ideological fold. Both bodies grew into significant forces in India's labour and agrarian landscape, independent of the Left-aligned union tradition that dominated the era. His conviction was straightforward: workers and farmers deserved organised representation rooted in Indian civilisational values, not imported ideological frameworks. That idea outlasted him.Why BJP leaders keep returning to Thengadi
For the BJP and the broader Sangh Parivar, Thengadi's anniversary is an annual moment of ideological reaffirmation. His emphasis on labour dignity, agrarian welfare and youth mobilisation maps directly onto the party's contemporary policy vocabulary — making him a touchstone figure rather than a ceremonial one. Majhi's tribute lands with particular weight given Odisha's context. The BJP assumed power in the state in 2024, and the new government has repeatedly signalled labour and farmer welfare as priorities. Invoking Thengadi is both an act of remembrance and a statement of direction. The legacy endures not in statues but in the two organisations Thengadi left behind — still active, still influential, still carrying his name into the fields and factory floors of India.Point of View
Posting this tribute less than two years into the BJP's first full term governing Odisha signals an intent to connect grassroots Sangh networks — particularly BMS and BKS affiliates — to the state's governance agenda. The gesture is routine within the party ecosystem, but its resonance in Odisha, a state with a significant farming and working-class population, gives it a sharper political edge than a standard ceremonial post.
NationPress
10 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Dattopant Thengadi?
Dattopant Thengadi was an RSS pracharak who founded the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh in 1955 and the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh in 1978, building nationalist alternatives to Left-aligned labour and farmer unions in India.
What is Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh?
Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh is a trade union founded by Dattopant Thengadi in 1955, organised on RSS-aligned nationalist principles to represent the interests of Indian workers.
What did Mohan Charan Majhi say about Thengadi?
CM Majhi paid 'reverential homage' to Thengadi, calling him 'a wellspring of inspiration for countless workers' and praising his life as devoted to nation-building and the welfare of labourers, farmers and youth.
When did BJP come to power in Odisha?
The BJP came to power in Odisha in 2024, with Mohan Charan Majhi taking oath as Chief Minister.
What is Bharatiya Kisan Sangh?
Bharatiya Kisan Sangh is a farmers' organisation founded by Dattopant Thengadi in 1978 to organise cultivators along nationalist ideological lines under the broader Sangh Parivar umbrella.
