Ashish Kumar Anshu
Delhi : On January 27, 1948, Mahatma Gandhi expressed his wish to dissolve the Congress and turn it into a ‘Lok Sevak Sangh’ (People’s Service Organization). Is the RSS today making that idea a reality?
Do you know that at the time of building independent India, Mahatma Gandhi had a dream that remains unfulfilled even today? On January 27, 1948—just three days before his death—he wrote in a note that the Indian National Congress had completed its purpose. It should now be dissolved as a political organization and transformed into a ‘Lok Sevak Sangh’—an organization that stays away from the race for power and focuses on public service, social and economic freedom, and moral upliftment. Gandhi clearly said that the Congress “must be kept out of unhealthy competition with political parties and communal bodies. For these and other similar reasons, the A.I.C.C. resolves to disband the existing Congress organization and flower into a Lok Sevak Sangh under the following rules with power to alter them as occasion may demand.” He presented this as his ‘Last Will and Testament,’ which was published in Harijan on February 2, 1948.
After his assassination on January 30, 1948, this wish was ignored. The Congress took hold of power and turned Gandhi’s dream into political ambition.
Today, when we remember Gandhi’s last message, one question arises: Can any organization bring his idea of Lok Sevak Sangh to life on the ground? When we look at the work of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), it seems to match Gandhi’s dream in many ways.
The RSS is a non-political, volunteer-based organization. It emphasizes discipline, service to the nation, education, health, rural development, and disaster relief. During the COVID-19 pandemic, RSS volunteers provided food, oxygen, and medical help to millions of people without expecting any political gain. Their work in natural disasters, cleanliness drives, promoting social harmony, and building patriotism among the youth—all these efforts connect to Gandhi’s idea of separating Congress from power and making it a service-focused social organization.
Gandhi described the Lok Sevak Sangh as volunteer-based, village-centered, and rooted in moral values. The RSS’s branches (shakhas), service activities, and organizational structure show a practical form of this in action. There have been ideological differences between Gandhi and the RSS—especially on non-violence, protection of minorities, and inclusivity—but if we look at his last note in its original form, an organization like the RSS appears close to his dream of power-free service. While the Congress ignored Gandhi’s wish and chose family-centered politics, the RSS chose to stay away from power and follow the path of public service.
On the other hand, the Congress’s journey has been completely opposite to Gandhi’s dream. After independence, the Congress set aside internal democracy and ethics in its hunger for power. After Gandhi’s assassination, there were no serious investigations into the lapses in his security. There was an attack on him on January 20, 1948, yet why was security so weak on January 30? Neither the media nor the Congress spoke about this. There were also attacks and massacres on Chitpavan Brahmins in Maharashtra, but the Congress government faced no questions. By putting all the blame for Gandhi’s murder on the RSS, the media freed the Congress government (in power at the center then) from all responsibility.
During Congress rule, a large part of the media stayed under the protection of those in power. Even during the Emergency (1975-77) with censorship, pro-Congress journalists faced no harm. In the Niira Radia tapes scandal, big journalists’ names came up, but no action was taken. In the 1984 Sikh massacre, the Congress was in government, but the media did not ask tough questions of party leaders. In the Bofors scandal too, many journalists tried to suppress it. Journalists like Rajiv Shukla admitted that when they criticized Rajiv Gandhi, he praised them—because it made a Congress journalist look neutral, increased their credibility, and the party never doubted their loyalty to Congress. Examples like Supriya Shrinate also show this system, where political connections easily got good journalism jobs.
After 2014, many journalists insist on seeing themselves in the role of ‘opposition.’ They say the media should stand against those in power. But from the time of Congress governments until now, these journalists have not raised any questions about Mahatma Gandhi’s last wish or the lapses in his security. Yet they want to be seen as neutral!
For decades, a strong wall of opposition was built against the BJP. The media itself created the image of the BJP as a communal party of Bania-Brahmins across the country. On the other hand, the media followed a policy of ‘controlled criticism’ toward the Congress. That is why criticism of Sonia Gandhi in the media was always mild. Remember how Xavier Moro’s book The Red Sari was banned in India, but the media kept the news completely silent.
Today, a big question stands before the whole country: Has Mahatma Gandhi’s dream been lost somewhere in the greed for power by political parties? Or can some organization still keep that dream alive through the path of public service?
The work of the RSS definitely shows a possibility in this direction. In such times, the Congress will have to do serious self-reflection: Is it really the true successor of Mahatma Gandhi, or is it a political party that ignored his dreams?
