Nagpur: Economic growth must be accompanied by stronger civic responsibility, discipline and character, Sanjay Gupta said at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s Vijayadashami programme, arguing that national prosperity would remain incomplete without changes in how citizens relate to society and the country.
Addressing the event as chief guest on October 20, Gupta said India could become a prosperous nation over the next 20–25 years if its progress continued. He nevertheless questioned whether greater wealth would also bring a corresponding improvement in public attitudes, tolerance and awareness of duties.
From economic progress to everyday responsibility
Gupta described divisions based on caste, class, sect and religion as continuing social challenges. While acknowledging a sense of national commitment, he said many citizens still needed a stronger understanding of morality, responsibility and the rules intended to improve public life.
He urged people to move beyond asking what a system provided them and consider what they could contribute to the nation. In his assessment, discipline and respect for civic obligations were essential to translating national advancement into a healthier society.
Character-building, he said, should therefore be a central task in the Sangh’s next century. He linked good character with an understanding of duty and commitment to the nation, presenting social reform as a continuing responsibility rather than an achievement secured through economic growth alone.
Jagran’s priorities and its relationship with the RSS
Turning to the media’s role, Gupta said Dainik Jagran had a responsibility to keep readers aware of their duties. He described the newspaper’s editorial outlook as rooted in Indian cultural values, national commitment, social harmony and goodwill.
He identified seven areas of concern for the organisation: education, environmental protection, water conservation, public health, women’s empowerment, poverty eradication and population planning. These, he said, were ways in which the group sought to contribute to social and national development.
Gupta also explicitly aligned Jagran’s commitment to Indian culture and the nation with that of the RSS. His remarks placed the media group’s stated social priorities alongside his wider argument that institutions should encourage citizens to participate in national life.
Credits RSS with BJP’s ideological and organisational strength
In a political section of the address, Gupta credited the RSS’s ideological foundation and organisational strength for the BJP’s success. He traced the party’s origins through the Jana Sangh and argued that the outlook of several of its leaders had been shaped by the Sangh.
He criticised what he called appeasement and vote-bank politics, saying political ambitions could hinder social reform. These were Gupta’s assessments of the political establishment and the RSS’s role, rather than announcements of any government policy.
Responding to allegations of Hindu extremism against the Sangh and organisations associated with it, he defended the RSS as a force for preserving Hindu values and cultural identity. He attributed the continuing international influence of those traditions substantially to its work.
Social cohesion as the next-century challenge
Gupta portrayed the RSS’s original purpose as bringing Hindu society together, strengthening self-awareness and overcoming a mentality of subjugation. He said its work after independence had focused on developing individuals with a sense of national commitment.
He warned that caste distinctions could further fragment Hindu society and argued for institutions engaged in sustained, selfless social service. Concluding the address, he said restoring the national ideal he envisaged would require character-building alongside material progress.
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