No Hindustan without RSS, says new Rajasthan BJP chief

Jaipur: Terming the RSS a movement that can change the country and the world, newly-appointed Rajasthan BJP chief Satish Poonia on Sunday reiterated there would have been no Hindustan without the RSS.

Poonia, who comes with an RSS background and was appointed as the state BJP president on Saturday, spoke to reporters on Sunday after a programme in Rajasthan's Jaipur.

In an apparent attack on the Congress without naming it, he said, "Historical facts are no more hidden...who was behind Partition? Who got in collusion with the Mughals and the Britishers? I feel that without the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, there would have been no Hindustan."

He continued, "Democracy was saved...along with intact democracy, the country's respect increased across the world. The RSS is not a word but a movement that can change the country and the world."

The 55-year-old Poonia was appointed as the state president of BJP Rajasthan on Saturday.

In his first remarks after being appointed, he had praised the RSS on Saturday when he was asked about his Sangh background.

"If there was no RSS, there would have been no Hindustan. Because the RSS is such a big force, ''bhagwa'' (saffron) is respected all over," he had said.

Poonia, who is from the Rajgarh town of Churu district, has been with the RSS since his childhood.

He began his student politics in 1982 and conducted a programme -- ''Dr Hedgewar olympics'' -- to mark the birth centenary year of RSS founder KB Hedgewar in the University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, in 1988.

This was the first direct programme of the RSS at the university.

Poonia served as RSS' state general secretary for four terms between 2004-14.