RSS runs solely on social support, not foreign funding: Adityanath

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said the RSS has completed 100 years of service and continues to work solely with social support, without any foreign or institutional funding.

Addressing a ‘Gita Prerna Mahotsav’ event in the presence of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, Adityanath said diplomats and foreign envoys often ask how the Sangh operates.

“We tell them that we have worked as ‘swayamsevaks’ (volunteers). They ask about funding… We say there is no funding pattern. No OPEC country or international church funds it. RSS stands on the strength of society and works with a spirit of service,” Adityanath said.

The chief minister added that the organisation serves every distressed person, irrespective of religion, language or region.

“RSS teaches that the nation comes first, and anyone who can contribute to taking India to greater heights must be supported,” he said.

Adityanath also criticised those who, according to him, have turned service into a tool of deals and influence, claiming that they attempt to change India’s demographic character through pressure and greed.

Referring to the spiritual message of Bhagavad Gita, the chief minister said it can provide guidance in challenging times.

Calling the Gita a divine mantra for all 140 crore Indians, Adityanath said it offers a way of life and path to success.

He also said the ‘Gita Prerna Mahotsav’ would help spread its teachings to a wider audience.

In India’s civilisational view, even a battlefield is considered a ‘dharma kshetra’, and “victory is assured wherever dharma and duty prevail”, Adityanath said.

“No one should believe that they can walk on the path of ‘adharma’ and still hope for victory. Nature’s law does not permit that,” he said.

He added that India’s spiritual ethos teaches people to act with a sense of merit and responsibility.

“Do good and you earn ‘punya’ (virtue); do wrong and you earn ‘paap’ (sin). Every religion teaches its followers in this manner,” Adityanath said, noting that India has never claimed superiority or imposed its worship methods on anyone.

Emphasising India’s civilisational values, he said the country has always stood with those in distress.

“We have always welcomed whoever came seeking refuge. ‘Jiyo aur jeene do’ (live and let live) and ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (the world is one family) are messages that India gave to the world,” he said.

The event’s main speaker, Swami Gyananand, said the purpose of the programme was to inspire people to live the teachings of Bhagavad Gita.

“Different versions of Mahabharat are visible across the world today, but the solution remains what it was then – the Gita,” he said.

Event organiser and retired IAS officer Mani Prasad Mishra announced several Gita recitation initiatives, including a statewide chanting on December 1, and a synchronised Gita recital event across Uttar Pradesh on December 20, 2026.

Earlier, the chief minister and several seers welcomed RSS chief Bhagwat on his arrival at the venue.