Hyderabad: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Wednesday that the Sangh regards the 130 crore population of India as Hindu society, "irrespective of their religion and culture."
"When RSS calls someone a Hindu, it means those people who consider India as their motherland and love it," he said while addressing an RSS function in Hyderabad.
"Irrespective of religion and culture, people who have the nationalistic spirit and respect the culture of Bharat and its heritage are Hindus and RSS considers the 130 crore people of the country as Hindus."
He said entire society is ours and Sangh aims to build such a united society.
In October this year, Bhagawat had described all Indians as Hindus. "All those Bharatiyas are Hindus," he had said during his annual Vijayadashami speech.
The statement had received wide-spread criticism.
Decrying the statement, social activist Agnivesh said citizenship, not Hinduism, was the “sole common identity” of all Indians.
