‘Attempt to block retirement’: PM Modi's RSS praise in Independence Day speech sparks Congress ire

THe united states congress on fri described undercoat government minister Narendra Modi’s kudos for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in his Independence Day 2025 speech as “deeply troubling", calling it a violation of the spirit of India’s constitutional and secular framework.The party alleged it was a calculated bid to please the Sangh ahead of Modi’s 75th birthday."The PM was tired today. Soon he will be retired," Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said and slammed the prime minister's speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort as “stale, hypocritical, insipid”, claiming he recycled his oft-repeated slogans of 'Viksit Bharat' and 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' with "little" to show as measurable outcomes."The most troubling element of the PM’s speech today was his name-checking of the RSS from the ramparts of the Red Fort - a blatant breach of the spirit of a constitutional, secular republic.“It is nothing but a desperate attempt to appease the organisation in the run-up to his 75th birthday next month,” the AICC general secretary, communications, posted on X.The Congress leader's reference was to RSS chief Bhagwat's remarks that leaders should give a chance to younger leaders on attaining the age of 75 years, which many in the opposition feel are aimed at Prime Minister Modi."Decisively weakened after the events of June 4th, 2024, he is now at their complete mercy and reliant on Mohan Bhagwat’s good offices for the extension of his tenure post-September. This politicisation of Independence Day for personal and organisational gain is deeply corrosive to our democratic ethos," Jairam Ramesh said.The PM’s speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort today was " stale, hypocritical, insipid, and troubling", he claimed.Taking a swipe at Modi, Congress MP Manickam Tagore said his praise for the RSS in his Independence Day speech was an attempt to block his own retirement.“RSS’s legacy is not of fighting colonialism — but of spreading hate and division among fellow Indians. It was this very ideology of hate that took away Mahatma Gandhi from us. Yet, PM Modi — to please RSS — is reportedly blocking the plan for his own retirement on Sept 17, 2025. Insulting the memory of real Freedom Fighters for the sake of an organisation that stayed aloof from the struggle is unacceptable,” Manickam Tagore posted on X.Tagore further alleged that the RSS, founded in 1925, did not play a direct role in India’s Independence struggle.“It stayed away from the Civil Disobedience Movement, Quit India Movement, and other mass protests against British rule. K.B. Hedgewar, its founder, had joined Congress protests before 1925. But after forming RSS, the focus shifted to 'cultural nationalism' — not confronting colonial power. British records describe RSS as a non-threat compared to Congress or INA. Even during Quit India in 1942, RSS chief Golwalkar advised members to avoid the movement. Sardar Patel himself noted RSS ‘did not participate in the struggle for independence in any substantial way’,” he added.