In this episode of Saffron Siege, the writer, historian and social activist Ram Puniyani explains the background of India’s freedom struggle in which the RSS was founded. He says the the founders of the RSS were reacting to the education of Dalits and women and the influx of average people into the national movement. On the other hand, they were influenced by the fascist nationalism growing in Europe. “The RSS stands for the presentation of old values, which they call the golden period of Hindu history represented by the Manusmriti, the values of caste and gender hierarchy,” Puniyani says. It also stands against religious minorities – Muslims to begin with and Christians to be followed up.

Over the years the RSS and its ideologues, many who went forward to become BJP leaders, systematically entrenched the RSS’s influence over India’s citizenry – from Lal Krishna Advani as information and broadcasting minister planting RSS characters into the media to Narendran Modi co-opting big corporates as chief minister of Gujarat in the early 2000s world to building their own social media in recent years. “This chain which has grown and is very powerful, very difficult to break. And mainly because I think we have to blame ourselves when all this was going on, what were we doing?” Puniyani says.

You can watch this whole conversation on YouTube: https://youtu.be/orGOdfpGFxo

This episode is part of Season Two of Partitions of the Heart. In this season, Harsh Mander speaks to leading scholars and observers who have studied the RSS closely. Together, they examine its roots and core principles, its Hindutva agenda, and its corrosive role in India’s public and social life across a century.

“Saffron Siege” runs from 17 September to 3 December 2025, with a new episode releasing every Wednesday. Himal’s podcasts are available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Production: Imaad ul Hasan, Lydia Smith, Ritika Chauhan, Nayantara Narayanan

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