RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale declared on Sunday that the electoral bond was an 'experiment', the effectiveness and benefits of which will be revealed over time. The RSS Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS) re-elected Hosabale as 'Sarkaryavah' (General Secretary) for a three-year term on Sunday. The Election Commission published data on electoral bond purchasers on Thursday, which includes many billionaire businessmen and lesser-known institutions.

According to data provided by the State Bank of India to the ECI, steel baron Lakshmi Mittal, billionaire Sunil Bharti Mittal's Airtel, Anil Agarwal's Vedanta, ITC, Mahindra & Mahindra, and lesser-known Future Gaming and Hotel Services were among the major buyers of electoral bonds. When asked about the concerns raised regarding electoral bonds, Hosabale stated that the Sangh has not yet discussed the matter, as it was an 'experiment'.

'New changes invite scrutiny and questions by the people'

Hosabale explained, 'The electoral bond was introduced after careful scrutiny and discussion. It's not that it was presented abruptly today; such initiatives have been launched previously too. Whenever there is a change, it invites questions, as was the case when EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) were introduced. It is natural for people to question new things that surface. But time will tell how effective and beneficial the new system has been. Thus, the Sangh believes it should be left to continue as an experiment.'

When questioned about the ten-year governance of the Narendra Modi government, Hosabale welcomed the Uniform Civil Code. He said that a resolution demanding its implementation was passed years ago in the organization's 'Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha'. Hosabale added, 'It has been implemented in (BJP-ruled) Uttarakhand. We would like to see it applied throughout the country. But there are certain details like inheritance, adoption, marriage, etc., which need to be debated before moving forward.'

He remarked, 'The public has witnessed the nation's progress in the past decade, and even prominent international experts and political commentators have reiterated that the current century belongs to India. There must be something quite positive happening for them to believe so. Anyway, the public will voice their decision on June 4 (the day of Lok Sabha election results).' Responding to whether the deadline in the Citizenship Amendment Act should be extended from the current 31st December 2014, the RSS leader said that if needed, the competent authority could do so.

'Kashi-Mathura issue should be resolved by court to avoid the need for movements'

Regarding the controversies pertaining to worship sites in Mathura and Kashi, Hosabale said that Hindu saints and the Vishva Hindu Parishad have raised the issue, emphasizing that the nature of the movement depends on the problem. He asserted, 'What was done for the Ram Janmabhoomi movement should not be necessarily done for everything else. It's not necessary. The matter is in court. If the court resolves it, no movement is required. Whatever the Hindu community needs to do concerning Kashi and Mathura, it will do under the guidance of religious-social leadership.'

The RSS's annual three-day 'Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha' commenced on Friday in Smriti Bhavan, Reshimbag locality of Nagpur city, Maharashtra. This meeting took place in RSS's headquarters Nagpur after six years. The meeting concluded on Sunday with the attendance of a total of 1529 representatives from various RSS-affiliated organizations. During the meeting, Dattatreya Hosabale appointed 6 joint secretaries for the 2024-2027 period. These include Krishna Gopal, Mukund Ji, Arun Kumar, Ramdutt Chakradhar, Atul Limaye, and Alok Kumar. BJP President JP Nadda also participated in the meeting.