New Delhi — The Communist Party of India (Marxist) strongly criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday for praising the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) during his Independence Day address, calling it an affront to the memory of India’s freedom martyrs, reported the Deccan Herald.
In his message to the nation on the 79th Independence Day, CPI(M) General Secretary M.A. Baby described the Prime Minister’s remarks as “deeply regrettable” and said the RSS had a “dubious historical record” with no role in the struggle for independence.
Baby recalled that the RSS was banned after Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination and said historians have documented its role in “inciting communal riots and undermining national unity along religious lines.”
“My heartiest greetings on the 79th Independence Day. Martyrs like Shaheed Bhagat Singh and Ashfaqullah Khan live in our memories every single day. From Mahatma Gandhi to Subhas Chandra Bose, from Maulana Abul Kalam Azad to Com. P Krishna Pillai, EMS, AKG, and Akkamma Cheriyan — their selfless struggles form the very foundation of our independence,” Baby stated on X.
He alleged that by praising the RSS, the Prime Minister had “dishonoured the memory of our martyrs and the spirit of the freedom movement,” calling the act “profoundly unacceptable and shameful.”
Prime Minister Modi, in his speech from the Red Fort, hailed 100 years of the RSS as a “very proud and glorious” journey of the “world’s biggest NGO” and lauded its volunteers for their “dedicated service to the nation.”
