Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Tuesday said every person living in the country is a ‘Hindu’ and the DNA of all Indians is the same. He made the remarks while addressing an event of Swayamsevaks (Sangh volunteers) in Ambikapur, the headquarters of Chhattisgarh’s Surguja district.

Bhagwat said that every “Indian who is part of the 40,000-year old ‘Akhand Bharat’ has common DNA”, and asserted that there was no need for anyone to change his way of offering rituals.

“We have been telling since 1925 (when RSS was founded) that everyone living in India is a Hindu. Those who consider India as their ‘matrubhoomi’ (motherland) and want to live with a culture of unity in diversity and make efforts in this direction, irrespective of whatever religion, culture, language and food habits and ideology they follow, are Hindus,” Bhagwat said, as quoted by PTI.

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He said the ideology of Hindutva recognises diversity and believes in unity among people.

“Hindutva is the only idea in the entire world that believes in unifying diversities because it has carried such diversities together in this country for thousands of years. This is the truth and you have to speak it firmly. On the basis of it we can be united. The Sangh’s work is to build individual and national character and bring unity among people,” added the RSS leader.

He also said that everyone should stick to one’s faith and rituals and not try to convert to others’ faith.

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Bhagwat also said that during the recent COVID-19 crisis, the entire nation fought together as one to overcome it. “Our culture connects us. No matter how much we fight among ourselves, we become united in times of crisis. We fight together when the country faces some kind of trouble. During the coronavirus pandemic the whole country stood as one to deal with it,” he maintained.

He also appealed to people to visit Sangh ‘sakhas’ (congregation of RSS workers), saying that the 97-year-old organisation’s aim is to unite people and work for the welfare of society.