Indo-Pak conflict: Mohan Bhagwat cites Winston Churchill to underline people's power

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday hailed the show of national unity during Operation Sindoor and cited British premier Winston Churchill's challenges during World War 2 to hammer the power of people and societies.

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While calling for self-reliance in defence and cautioning against India's intransigent neighbour Pakistan, Bhagwat said the problems were not yet over and Indians needed to stay united.

Bhagwat was speaking at an RSS event in Nagpur where he hailed the government, armed forces, the political class and society for discharging the roles they were expected to discharge during the Indian military response to Pakistan-sponsored Pahalgam terror attack.

"The political leaders displayed maturity, rose above differences in the interest of the country. The society presented a picture of unity which was the grandest form of democracy. This picture must stay permanently because the problem is not over," said Bhagwat warning against Pakistan's constant policy of proxy wars against India.

He said while the government and the military would do their job, the real power of a country stemmed from its people.

"When Winston Churchill was being pressured by his own cabinet colleagues to accept a truce with Hitler, he boarded England's metros to get a sense of what people wanted. And the people asked him not to surrender. They told him they will fight in the streets, in the mountains, in the rivers and in the valleys. That is how Churchill delivered his famous speech to the UK Parliament deciding to continue fighting till victory was attained. It was people's power that gave him the confidence to charge on. When the allied forces won, Churchill was feted by his people as a lion but he responded to his people saying -- you are the lions, I only roared for you," Bhagwat said, urging Indians to stay united in the face of a provocative neighbour called Pakistan.

The RSS chief said Indians were rooted in unity, and not in differences.