RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat meets Prime Minister Modi in wake of Pahalgam terror attack

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.
| Photo Credit: PTI

In a significant and rare development, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Tuesday (April 29, 2025) met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg in the national capital. The meeting comes in the immediate aftermath of a high-level security review following the terrorist attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives.

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According to sources within the RSS, the meeting between the Prime Minister and the RSS sarsanghchalak lasted for over an hour, and was primarily centred on the security situation in Kashmir and India’s potential response to the incident. Union Home Minister Amit Shah was also part of the deliberations.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Modi had convened an emergency meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, and the chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. The strategy meeting followed the deadly attack, one of the worst in the Valley in recent times.

Pahalgam attack LIVE Updates: April 29, 2025

A senior RSS functionary, speaking to The Hindu on condition of anonymity, said, “The meeting between the sangh chief and the Prime Minister was scheduled in advance. The focus was entirely on the situation in Kashmir. The Prime Minister has given the defence establishment a free hand to take appropriate action, while stressing the importance of maintaining coordination at the highest levels.”

When asked about the unusual nature of such a meeting, the office-bearer said, “There are moments when protocol must give way to national interest. This was one such moment.”

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The meeting also comes in the backdrop of recent public remarks by Mr. Bhagwat. Speaking at an event in Delhi last week, he had condemned Pakistan for what he termed as an “evil act” and said that India’s dharma requires it not to be subdued by aggressors. Without naming the Prime Minister, he had added, “It is the duty of the king to protect his people, and the king must rise to that duty.”