New Delhi: On India’s 79th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose to laud and glorify the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in his speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort, in a move that has been called by the opposition as an “insult to the freedom struggle”.While Modi hailed the RSS for its “100 years of national service”, calling it the largest NGO in the world, an Independence Day post by the Union ministry of petroleum and natural gas showed an image of V.D. Savarkar above Mahatma Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose and Bhagat Singh.“I want to express with utmost pride that an institution, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, was founded 100 years ago. Its 100 years of national service has been a very proud and glorious page,” said Modi, paying tribute to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s ideological parent organisation.“For the past 100 years, RSS swayamsevaks have been dedicating their lives to fulfilling the resolve of ‘vyakti nirman’ (character development) and ‘rashtra nirman’ (nation building) for the welfare of the ‘matrubhoomi’ (motherland). It is the largest NGO in the world and has a proud history of 100 years of dedicated service.“From the ramparts of the Red Fort today, I respectfully remember all the swayamsevaks who have contributed to these 100 years of national service. The country is proud of this long history of service, which will continue to inspire us.”Congress MP and the party’s media in-charge Jairam Ramesh said that Modi’s reference to the RSS was a “a blatant breach of the spirit of a constitutional, secular republic” and a “desperate attempt to appease the organisation”.“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,” said Ramesh.“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.”Modi’s praise of the RSS comes weeks after Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat’s remark that one must retire at the age of 75.His statement had sparked a debate on whether his words were actually meant for Modi, who along with Bhagwat will turn 75 this September.All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul MP Asaduddin Owaisi said that Modi’s speech glorifying the RSS on Independence Day was an “insult to the freedom struggle”.“Glorifying the RSS in an Independence Day speech is an insult to the freedom struggle. The RSS and its ideological allies served as British foot soldiers. They never joined the fight for independence and hated Gandhi more than they ever opposed the British,” he said.Owaisi said that the prime minister has once again reminded people why it is “necessary to learn real history and honour the real heroes”.“If we don’t, the day isn’t far when cowardice will be sold to us as the highest form of bravery. RSS rejects the values of inclusive nationalism that motivated our freedom fighters. The ideology of Hindutva believes in exclusion and is antithetical to the values of our Constitution. Modi could have gone to Nagpur to praise RSS as a Swayamsevak, why did he have to do it from the Red Fort as the Prime Minister?”Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) general secretary M.A. Baby said that Modi had “dishonoured the memory of our martyrs and the spirit of our freedom movement” in a “profoundly unacceptable and shameful” manner.“An organisation which had no role whatsoever in these struggles and has consistently sought to undermine national unity along religious lines. Historians have documented its role in inciting communal riots and other violence. Notably, the organisation was banned following the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of our freedom struggle,” he said.“By lauding the RSS on this Independence Day, Prime Minister Modi has dishonoured the memory of our martyrs and the spirit of our freedom movement. This is profoundly unacceptable and shameful.”Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Kumar Jha said that the Independence Day speech was not an occasion for the politics of dog-whistling and distorting history.“His language should be inclusive. This was not an occasion for politics of dog whistling, giving coded messages and distorting history. By saying that earlier everything was lost, you are not only insulting your predecessors and the Congress but also farmers, labourers and all those who have invested so much in building this country. He should self-evaluate on where he has taken the nation and the public discourse from that ‘tryst with destiny’ speech,” he said.Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah said that while Modi had called the RSS it is “the world’s biggest for-political profit, for-hate, and most divisive organisation”.“Let’s be clear: it is not an NGO; it is the world’s biggest for-political profit, for-hate, and most divisive organisation – unregistered, non tax-paying, and conspiring to pit Indians against each other,” he said.Siddaramaiah said that India’s freedom was won by people of every religion, caste, and language, united under the tricolour.“No organisation is bigger than that unity or above the Constitution. And no Prime Minister – no matter the power he wields – can turn Independence Day into a tribute to those who divide India and dream of ruling it in the spirit of its former colonisers. He should be ashamed of undermining the very idea of India from the ramparts of the Red Fort,” he said.Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MP Kanimozhi has also spoken on Modi’s glorification of the RSS, calling it “nothing but a desperate attempt to rewrite history with lies—a tactic BJP has long employed, through distorting textbooks and twisting facts in Parliamentary submissions.”She said that attempts to project RSS as a participant in the freedom movement are an insult to those who actually sacrificed for the country’s independence.Savarkar above GandhiThe opposition also hit out at the Union petroleum and natural gas’s X post showing a photo of Hindu nationalist thinker Savarkar above Gandhi, Bhagat Singh and Bose’s images.Union petroleum and natural gas’s X post showing a photo of Hindu nationalist thinker Savarkar above Gandhi, Bhagat Singh and Bose’s images.“An organisation associated with the murder of Mahatma Gandhi is extolled from the ramparts of the Red Fort on Independence Day. A leader who became a supplicant before the British Raj is equated with Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Bose and Bhagat Singh. Amrit Kaal 2025,” said Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose.CPI(M) MP John Brittas said that the elevation of Savarkar over Gandhi was “not a coincidence but a calculated act”.“The government’s actions undermine the nation’s commitment to its secular constitution. It is pertinent to note that Savarkar was an accused in Gandhi’s assassination, though acquitted due to insufficient evidence. However, the Kapur Commission highlighted circumstantial evidence implicating Savarkar. Those who uphold the constitution should unequivocally condemn this mockery of justice and secular values,” he said.Note: Reactions of Siddaramaiah and Kanimozhi have been added to this report since its publication.