Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat on Tuesday claimed that the Hindutva organisation never asks its volunteers to work for any particular party, reported PTI. Speaking at the outfit’s conclave in Delhi, he added that they only advise the volunteers to support those working in the national interest.

Without naming the Bharatiya Janata Party, he said there was a wrong perception that the RSS plays a key role in the functioning of a particular party. “We never ask swayamsevaks [volunteers] to work for a particular party, we do ask them to back those working in national interest,” Bhagwat said. “RSS keeps away from politics but has views on issues of national interest.”

Bhagwat said Hindutva means inclusivity and accepting Muslims was a part of it. “If we don’t accept Muslims, it’s not Hindutva,” he said, according to NDTV. “Hindutva is Indianness and inclusivity.”

Tuesday was the second day of the three-day conclave called the “Future of Bharat: An RSS Perspective”. On Monday, Bhagwat said the RSS does not seek domination and is indifferent to who comes to power. He had praised the Congress for its role in the freedom movement. Moving away from the BJP’s phrase of ‘Congress-mukt Bharat’, Bhagawat said the Sangh does not endorse it.