Live telecast of RSS chief’s speech stirs row, Modi says important national issues were raised

New Delhi: A controversy broke out on Friday over the live telecast of annual Dussehra speech by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on state broadcaster Doordarshan.

The Hour-long live telecast of Bhagwat’s address was slammed by the Congress and Left parties terming it as "misuse" of Doordarshan but BJP defended it.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that the annual Dussehra speech given by Bhagwat raised "important national issues."

"The issues of social reform that he raised are very relevant today," the PM tweeted.

Amid controversy, Doordarshan said it was covered like any other news event and no special arrangements had been made. "It was just like a news event to us. So we covered it," Doordarshan's DG (News) Archana Dutta said.

She said that there was "no special arrangement" that had been made for the event and one of the several Digital Satellite News gathering vans (DSNG) that the broadcaster has in Maharashtra for coverage of the state elections was used for the event.

"We have several DSNG vans in Maharashtra and one such van was used for Nagpur," Dutta said.

BJP defended the telecast with party leader Shaina N C saying that the RSS is only a nationalist organisation which believes in 'India first' and the country above the interest of any individual.

"I am glad that this speech has been highlighted and people realise that if there is one cadre in the country today that has genuinely contributed to patriotism and nation- building, it is the RSS," she said.

Bhagwat in his speech blamed the Western nations for the spread of international terrorism, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said the selfish interest of western countries for procuring oil in West Asia for rise in terror activities of the Islamic State (IS).

"Self-centred collective greed gives rise to exploitation, suppression, violence and fanaticism. The basis of selfish interest by the western countries is fully responsible for a new incarnation of terror and fundamentalism that emerged in West Asia in the name of ISIS which is terrorising the world," Bhagwat said.