Answering a question on the RSS’s view on those who mourned the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said that expressing grief is “not wrong”. File

Answering a question on the RSS’s view on those who mourned the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said that expressing grief is “not wrong”. File
| Photo Credit: K Ragesh

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has backed the Centre’s handling of the West Asia conflict, saying New Delhi has acted in the “supreme interest of the nation”.

Also read: West Asia war updates on March 15, 2026

The response comes amid criticism from the Opposition, particularly the Congress, which has questioned the Centre’s response to developments in West Asia that have sent oil prices soaring, sparking fears of fuel shortages in the country.

“Sangh has no role to play in all that is happening. We only want that there should be peace in the world… I will not analyse the reasons for wars because RSS has no say in the international diplomacy,” RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said on Sunday (March 15, 2026).

“War happens because of several reasons and hence, all we wish is that the war ends soon so that the lives of common people come back on track. The Government of India is doing all that is best possible for the supreme interest of the nation,” he added.

Stating that trade and commerce have to be done with people from across the globe, the RSS leader added that the organisation believes that the government is doing the “right” thing.

Answering a question on the RSS’s view on those who mourned the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the RSS general secretary said that expressing grief is “not wrong”.

“Everyone has their own sentiments attached to others… even we mourn deaths. If people wish to mourn, it should be done peacefully. In India, it is believed that after death no one remains an enemy. Expressions of sorrow should not lead to unrest,” he said.

Mr. Hosabale, who was speaking at the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha in Samalakha, Haryana, said that the number of RSS shakhas (gatherings) has increased by nearly 6,000, crossing 88,000, in the past year.

The number of locations where the gatherings are organised has risen to more than 55,000. Along with this, the weekly gatherings and smaller group meetings have also grown, he said.

Opinion | Is India tailing the U.S. in its West Asia policy?

“The expansion of organisational activities can be seen in the fact that RSS shakhas are now being conducted in places such as the Andaman Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Leh, and in remote tribal regions. In the Andaman Islands, more than 13,000 people from nine major islands participated in a Hindu conference held in the presence of the RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Similarly, in Arunachal Pradesh, a State with relatively low population density, over 37,000 people took part in 21 swadharma sammelans,” he said.


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