CM Rekha Gupta Greets RSS on Its 101st Foundation Day
Synopsis
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta greeted the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on its 101st Foundation Day on 20 October 2026, hailing a century of individual and national character-building through shakhas and calling on the organisation's ideals to keep expanding.
Key Takeaways
Delhi CM Rekha Gupta posted Foundation Day greetings for the RSS on 20 October 2026 .
The post marks the Sangh's 101st Foundation Day , one year past its centenary.
RSS was founded on 27 September 1925 by K.B.
Hedgewar in Nagpur .
Gupta praised the Sangh's mission of 'individual-building to nation-building' and its role in cultural and social revival.
The tribute follows a consistent pattern of BJP leaders publicly affirming their ideological ties with the Sangh on this date.
CM Gupta tagged @RSSorg directly and closed with 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' .
A century of shakhas, a century of swayamsevaks — and now, one year more. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, extended warm wishes to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on its 101st Foundation Day, saluting what she called a glorious saga of nation-building rooted in selfless service and cultural awakening.
Posting in Hindi, CM Gupta opened with the RSS's own invocation — 'Namaste Sada Vatsale Matrubhume' ('Ever-revered motherland, I salute you') — before describing the Sangh's journey as 'a centennial endeavour of national service, social harmony and cultural renaissance.' She addressed her greetings to all swayamsevaks across the country.
From Nagpur's first shakha to a nationwide movement
The RSS was founded on 27 September 1925 by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in Nagpur with the goal of building Hindu unity and national character through daily local gatherings called shakhas. What began as a small ideological experiment in Maharashtra has, over a hundred years, grown into one of the world's largest volunteer organisations, with shakhas operating in virtually every district of India.
CM Gupta's message leaned directly into that founding philosophy. She wrote that the journey 'from individual-building to nation-building' had awakened the inherent strength of Indian society, nurtured social harmony, and worked to protect and revive what she termed sanatan sanskritik chetna — the eternal cultural consciousness. The discipline and sense of duty cultivated in RSS shakhas, she said, had inspired generations toward selfless public service.
BJP's ritual salute — and what it signals
The greeting is consistent with a well-established pattern among BJP leaders: on RSS Foundation Day, senior party figures publicly reaffirm the ideological bond between the party and the Sangh. CM Gupta, who assumed office in 2025, is herself a product of that organisational ecosystem, making her tribute both politically routine and personally resonant.
Her closing lines carried the characteristic sweep of RSS rhetoric — a vow to 'establish Bharat Mata at the pinnacle of glory' and a prayer that the 'sacred flow of unity, self-reliance and goodwill in national life may continue to expand.' She signed off with 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and tagged @RSSorg directly.
As the Sangh steps into its 102nd year, the political salute from India's capital carries a simple message: the ideological pipeline between the shakha and the secretariat remains very much open.
Point of View
Pluralistic electorate, the explicit cultural framing of RSS ideology reflects how BJP leaders continue to consolidate their core ideological base even in urban, competitive constituencies. The salute also signals that Gupta's political identity remains tightly woven into the Sangh ecosystem from which she rose — a positioning that has implications for how she governs and communicates on cultural questions going forward.
NationPress
20 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
When was the RSS founded and by whom?
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was founded on 27 September 1925 by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in Nagpur , Maharashtra, with the aim of building Hindu unity and national character.
Why is 2026 the RSS's 101st Foundation Day?
The RSS completed 100 years in 2025 , making 2026 the start of its 102nd year and the occasion of its 101st Foundation Day anniversary.
What did Delhi CM Rekha Gupta say about the RSS?
CM Gupta described the RSS's journey as a 'centennial endeavour of national service, social harmony and cultural renaissance,' praising how shakha discipline had inspired generations of swayamsevaks toward selfless service.
What is the BJP's relationship with the RSS?
The BJP shares deep organisational and ideological roots with the RSS. Senior BJP leaders routinely issue public greetings on RSS Foundation Day, and many senior party figures, including CM Gupta, began their public careers within the Sangh ecosystem.
What does 'Namaste Sada Vatsale Matrubhume' mean?
It is the opening line of the RSS's prayer — translated as 'Ever-revered motherland, I salute you' — and is recited at every RSS shakha gathering. CM Gupta used it to open her Foundation Day post.
