The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) believes India needs a nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC) to establish who qualifies as an Indian citizen, while warning that “negative demographic change” could have implications for national unity, integrity and security, RSS Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh Sunil Ambekar has said.
In an exclusive interview with CNN-News18, Ambekar said the debate over citizenship and population patterns should be considered alongside India's cultural identity. He also reiterated the organisation's position on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), linking these questions to its broader understanding of the country's civilisational heritage.
“In a democracy, we need to be very clear who are the citizens of this country. I think any country will do that,” Ambekar said.
He argued that citizenship determines who should be entitled to participate in the democratic process and access facilities intended for citizens. At the same time, he said people who are not citizens could legally enter India through established immigration procedures and contribute to the country's development.
Why the RSS wants a nationwide NRC
Ambekar said the government could use different mechanisms and tools to establish citizenship, but maintained that the underlying objective should be to protect India's unity, integrity and security.
“Only citizens will have the right to participate in the democratic process. As citizens, if they are subscribed to any facilities that are meant for citizens, they should have access to them. For the rest of the people, they can come legally through the immigration process and be part of our development process. No problem. But it should be legal,” he said.
He added that, more than 75 years after Independence, India should consider how the government could identify non-citizens and determine the legal procedures applicable to them.
“After 75 years of independence, I think any aware citizen or any very well aware country should spare a thought about this situation, that how will the government identify non-citizens, what the legal process should be for them,” Ambekar said.
The RSS representative also connected the organisation's concerns about population imbalance with the Partition of 1947, arguing that demographic changes had played a role in the division of the country.
“Population imbalance is a very important issue because negative demographic changes were one of the factors that led to the Partition in 1947,” he said.
RSS says its concerns are not directed at any religion
Ambekar maintained that the Sangh's position on citizenship and demographic change was not aimed at a particular religious community. He said people should be free to practise any religion or worship any deity, while placing the country's cultural identity and national unity at the centre of the debate.
“So, in that way, it is not against anybody. Anyone can follow any religion or worship any God, but as a country, our commitment to our identity, culture, unity, and integrity is, I think, the ultimate priority,” he said.
Explaining the cultural basis of this position, Ambekar said a country's shared cultural identity helped establish the foundations of national identity and unity.
“Any country has its own cultural identity. And that cultural identity builds the foundation for our national unity, national identity,” he said.
Bhagwat's overseas visits aimed at reaching local opinion-makers
Ambekar also discussed RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's recent visits to the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, saying the engagements were intended to communicate the Sangh's understanding of India to a wider international audience.
He said Bhagwat's earlier overseas visits had largely focused on the Indian diaspora, whereas the latest engagements placed greater emphasis on meeting local people, particularly those involved in public life and capable of influencing public opinion.
“But this time, the purpose was to meet local people, particularly those from public life. They are important opinion-makers. The idea was to communicate and convey the message to them,” Ambekar said.
He described the message as one of India's transformation and its potential to contribute to the wider world.
“Bharat is changing at every level, and it has emerged as a great source of potential, not only for Bharat but for the world as well,” he said.
Ambekar argued that India should be understood not only through the political framework of a nation-state but also as a cultural nation shaped over centuries by shared traditions, practices and ways of life.
“Bharat is a cultural nation that has evolved over centuries through its cultural practices, traditions and way of life,” he said.
Hindu Rashtra is a cultural concept, Ambekar says
Ambekar acknowledged that the RSS needed to do more to explain its understanding of Hindu, Hindutva and Hindu Rashtra to audiences around the world.
“Yes, definitely. We need to do it,” he said, highlighting what he described as the global relevance of India's civilisational traditions.
He cited yoga and meditation as examples of practices rooted in India's past that continue to help people in the modern world. Although he said he did not know precisely when these practices originated, he argued that their continued relevance demonstrated the value of India's cultural heritage.
Ambekar also pointed to the country's family system and its approach to the environment as examples of its distinctive cultural values.
The most significant clarification concerned the RSS's conception of Hindu Rashtra. Ambekar rejected the interpretation that it represented a political entity that the organisation sought to establish in the future.
“He has not said that he is interested in creating a Hindu Rashtra. Hindu Rashtra is already there,” he said, referring to Bhagwat's remarks.
“As long as the last person continues to follow these cultural traditions and identities, it is the Rashtra,” he added.
According to Ambekar, the concept was not about creating a new political structure but recognising and reviving awareness of an existing cultural identity.
“So, it is not a political concept. It is a cultural concept of recognising this cultural identity and these traditions,” he said.
He described this process as “recovering the memory” of Bharat's cultural identity, suggesting that greater awareness would encourage people to recognise their traditions and take pride in them.
“When people realise, ‘Oh, this is our identity, this is our culture,’ they will embrace it and take pride in it,” Ambekar said.
RSS's unfinished task at the organisational level
Ambekar's remarks also pointed to the Sangh's continuing organisational ambitions as it enters its second century. Beyond expanding its organisational presence, he said the RSS's unfinished task was to reach every household and locality.
The broader objective, as outlined in his remarks, is to build a society in which people take responsibility for their own social and national life.