Congress takes a swipe at RSS leader over Pakistan remarks

The Congress on Wednesday (May 13, 2026) took a dig at senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionary Dattatreya Hosabale over his remarks advocating dialogue with Pakistan, claiming that his recent visit to the United States appeared to have influenced both him and the Sangh.

Reacting to Mr. Hosabale’s remarks in an interview to PTI Videos, Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said the RSS leader’s recent interactions in the U.S. seemed to have had an impact on his outlook.

“It appears that the recent U.S. trip of Shri Hosabale, during which one of his colleagues admitted to the PM doing what the U.S. wanted him to do, has impacted him as well as the RSS,” Mr. Ramesh said in a post on X.

He also took a swipe at television channels and supporters of the ruling dispensation, saying they would have “frothed, fumed and fulminated” had similar remarks been made by leaders outside the ideological fold of the RSS. “Just imagine how the bhakt brigade including the various TV channels would have frothed, fumed and fulminated if….,”he said.

In the interview, Mr. Hosabale said there should “always be a window” for dialogue with Pakistan and stressed the importance of people-to-people engagement in easing tensions between the two countries.

“The security and self-respect of a country have to be protected and the government of the day should take care of it. But at the same time, we need not close the doors. We should always be ready to engage them in a dialogue,” the RSS functionary said.

He also noted that Pakistan’s political and military leadership had lost India’s confidence and argued that civil society initiatives and greater public engagement could help break the diplomatic deadlock.

The remarks come against the backdrop of the RSS’ outreach efforts in the West during its centenary year. Mr. Hosabale had travelled to the U.S. and the U.K. last month, addressing gatherings at institutions including Stanford University and the Hudson Institute, besides interacting with members of the Indian diaspora.

The Congress also referred to recent comments by senior RSS leader Ram Madhav during a U.S. event, where he had suggested that India agreed to certain American demands relating to oil imports and tariffs. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had then described the RSS as the “Rashtriya Surrender Sangh” and accused it of practising “fake nationalism” in India while displaying “servility” abroad.

Mr. Madhav later apologised, saying his remarks were “factually incorrect” and clarifying that India had neither agreed to stop importing Russian oil nor accepted the tariff measures imposed by the U.S. administration.