The Indian government on Friday (August 21) rejected the latest remarks by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) targeting the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), calling the US body biased and lacking credibility.&nbsp;Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the commission had repeatedly made what India considers incorrect and provocative statements about the country. He said such remarks should be ignored.&nbsp;"We all know this is a biased institution. For years, it has made incorrect and provocative statements about India. We should ignore such institutions, as they have their own agendas and lack credibility," Jaiswal said during a media briefing.&nbsp;The government's response came after USCIRF officials called for sanctions against the RSS and asked Washington not to extend high-level diplomatic courtesies or hold meetings with its leaders.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-under-fire-as-navy-weighs-replacing-black-war-hero-s-name-with-his-own-1787332646717">Trump under fire as Navy weighs replacing Black war hero's name with his own</a><h2>Mohan Bhagwat's foreign visit in focus</h2>The comments came ahead of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's planned visit to the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom from August 25. Bhagwat is scheduled to travel at the invitation of local associations and organisations linked to the Indian diaspora.&nbsp;The visit will take place during the RSS's centenary year. Bhagwat is expected to meet members of the Indian diaspora and representatives of local organisations during the trip.&nbsp;RSS Prachar Pramukh Sunil Ambekar confirmed the visit in a post on X.&nbsp;"Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) Sarsanghachalak (Chief) Dr Mohan Bhagwat will be visiting the USA, Canada and the UK from 25th Aug 2026 on the invitation of overseas local associations and organisations. This coincides with the occasion of the ongoing Centenary year of RSS," the post read.&nbsp;The latest exchange follows the USCIRF's annual report released in March. The commission had criticised India over alleged religious freedom violations and supported targeted sanctions against individuals and organisations, including the RSS and the Research and Analysis Wing.

India rejected USCIRF's latest remarks targeting the RSS, calling the US body biased and lacking credibility ahead of Mohan Bhagwat's planned visit to the US, Canada and UK.

The Indian government on Friday (August 21) rejected the latest remarks by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) targeting the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), calling the US body biased and lacking credibility. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the commission had repeatedly made what India considers incorrect and provocative statements about the country. He said such remarks should be ignored. "We all know this is a biased institution. For years, it has made incorrect and provocative statements about India. We should ignore such institutions, as they have their own agendas and lack credibility," Jaiswal said during a media briefing. The government's response came after USCIRF officials called for sanctions against the RSS and asked Washington not to extend high-level diplomatic courtesies or hold meetings with its leaders. Also Read: Trump under fire as Navy weighs replacing Black war hero's name with his own Mohan Bhagwat's foreign visit in focus The comments came ahead of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's planned visit to the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom from August 25. Bhagwat is scheduled to travel at the invitation of local associations and organisations linked to the Indian diaspora. The visit will take place during the RSS's centenary year. Bhagwat is expected to meet members of the Indian diaspora and representatives of local organisations during the trip. RSS Prachar Pramukh Sunil Ambekar confirmed the visit in a post on X. "Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) Sarsanghachalak (Chief) Dr Mohan Bhagwat will be visiting the USA, Canada and the UK from 25th Aug 2026 on the invitation of overseas local associations and organisations. This coincides with the occasion of the ongoing Centenary year of RSS," the post read. The latest exchange follows the USCIRF's annual report released in March. The commission had criticised India over alleged religious freedom violations and supported targeted sanctions against individuals and organisations, including the RSS and the Research and Analysis Wing.

India rejected USCIRF's latest remarks targeting the RSS, calling the US body biased and lacking credibility ahead of Mohan Bhagwat's planned visit to the US, Canada and UK.

'Should ignore': India slams USCIRF's RSS sanctions call, terms US body 'biased'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautioned that although infiltration and external forces have historically posed risks to India's unity, the greater challenge today lies in demographic changes that threaten social equality. Speaking at the centenary celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in New Delhi on Wednesday, PM Modi emphasised India's strength rests in its “unity in diversity”. However, he warned that divisions fuelled by caste, language, regionalism, and extremist ideology could erode the country's foundation if left unchecked.&nbsp;"Social equality means establishing social justice by giving priority to the deprived and promoting national unity. Today, crises are emerging that directly attack our unity, culture, and security. Extremist thinking, regionalism, disputes over caste, language, and divisions instigated by external forces. All these countless challenges lie before us," he said.<h3>PM Modi says social equality faces a major challenge</h3>He added that unity in diversity has always remained the soul of India, warning that "if this principle is broken, the nation’s strength will also be weakened." While emphasising the need to continuously uphold and strengthen this value, PM Modi underscored that today, social equality faces a major challenge from demographic change rather than from infiltration.&nbsp;"Unity in diversity has always been India's soul. If this strength is broken, India will weaken... Social harmony faces a big threat from infiltrators causing a demographic shift. This question concerns our internal security and future. This is why I announced the Demographic Mission from the Red Fort. We need to stay alert and fight this challenge," he also said, news agency ANI reported.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a> | Delhi | At the centenary celebrations of RSS, PM Narendra Modi says, &quot;... Unity in diversity has always been India&#39;s soul. If this strength is broken, India will weaken... Social harmony faces a big threat from infiltrators causing a demographic shift. This question… <a href="https://t.co/kfMKIccVLq">pic.twitter.com/kfMKIccVLq</a>&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1973299918388215972?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Describing it as a matter linked to internal security and lasting peace, he said this was the reason he had launched the Demographic Mission from the Red Fort, urging citizens to stay alert and address the challenge with commitment.&nbsp;Prime Minister Modi added that, just as challenges have evolved, the nature of the nation’s struggles today is also different. "Economic dependence on other countries is a conspiracy to break our unity. There's a conspiracy to change our demographics," he warned.&nbsp;&nbsp;Expressing approval of the government’s response, he said he was “very satisfied” with the speed at which these issues were being addressed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that unity in diversity has always remained the soul of India, warning that "if this principle is broken, the nation’s strength will also be weakened."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautioned that although infiltration and external forces have historically posed risks to India's unity, the greater challenge today lies in demographic changes that threaten social equality. Speaking at the centenary celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in New Delhi on Wednesday, PM Modi emphasised India's strength rests in its “unity in diversity”. However, he warned that divisions fuelled by caste, language, regionalism, and extremist ideology could erode the country's foundation if left unchecked. "Social equality means establishing social justice by giving priority to the deprived and promoting national unity. Today, crises are emerging that directly attack our unity, culture, and security. Extremist thinking, regionalism, disputes over caste, language, and divisions instigated by external forces. All these countless challenges lie before us," he said. PM Modi says social equality faces a major challenge He added that unity in diversity has always remained the soul of India, warning that "if this principle is broken, the nation’s strength will also be weakened." While emphasising the need to continuously uphold and strengthen this value, PM Modi underscored that today, social equality faces a major challenge from demographic change rather than from infiltration. "Unity in diversity has always been India's soul. If this strength is broken, India will weaken... Social harmony faces a big threat from infiltrators causing a demographic shift. This question concerns our internal security and future. This is why I announced the Demographic Mission from the Red Fort. We need to stay alert and fight this challenge," he also said, news agency ANI reported.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that unity in diversity has always remained the soul of India, warning that "if this principle is broken, the nation’s strength will also be weakened."

'Demographic change, extremist thinking, caste, regionalism could erode India's foundation': PM Modi

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'Should ignore': India slams USCIRF's RSS sanctions call, terms US body 'biased'

'Demographic change bigger threat, could erode India's foundation': PM Modi