Panipat (Haryana) [India], March 15 (ANI): Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale on Sunday emphasised that Hindutva is not just a lifestyle but a mindset, and there should be a conception of what it really is.

Addressing a press conference, Hosabale said that the RSS took up five issues last year from the perspective of society. He added that the five issues included social harmony, family enlightenment, environmental protection, indigenous conduct, and civic duty. He further said that not only the RSS workers but all those institutions and individuals working for the country are patriots.

'Last year, we took up five issues from the perspective of society. Panchparivartan, which includes social harmony, family enlightenment, environmental protection, indigenous conduct, and civic duty. Our country was under British rule, due to which a colonial mindset persisted in our society for some time. We need to remove it. There should be a conception of what Indianness is, what Hindutva is. This is not just a mindset but a lifestyle. Our thinking is that discourse on India is essential for a positive world. We do not believe that only RSS workers are patriots. Many institutions and individuals are working for the country across the nation. When there is mutual cooperation among these institutions and individuals, our strength will increase,' he said.

Moreover, he said that on the occassion of the centenary, the RSS discussed the expansion of the Sangh work from an organisational perspective.

He noted that there are 88,949 branches located at 55,683 locations.

'On the occasion of the centenary of the Sangh this year, we had specifically deliberated on the programs for the centenary year... From an organisational perspective, we discussed the expansion of Sangh work. We have made efforts in the past years to have more gatherings at the Sangh Shakhas present in various geographical regions across the country, and we have also seen the results of that,' he said.

'There are 88,949 Shakhas at 55,683 locations... Population is, of course, a measure of this, but if there are more than 50 Shakhas, it is considered a metropolis. This is the terminology of the Sangh... The expansion of Sangh Shakhas has also taken place in tribal areas. If there is even one Shakha of the Sangh somewhere and Swayamsevaks are reaching there, it means that people who view the country with a sense of unity are being built,' he added. (ANI)