Venkaiah Naidu hails Mazdoor Sangh founder

New Delhi: Hailing the Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) founder and late RSS pracharak Dattopant Thengadi as someone who “gave a new direction” to trade unions of the country and whose views were appreciated by even ideological adversaries, Vice-President and Chairman, Rajya Sabha M. Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday said Thengadi was a visionary who was willing to change with times.    

At an event to mark the birth centenary celebrations of the late RSS pracharak, who was the founder of many RSS affiliates, including Swadeshi Jagaran Manch (SJM), BMS and the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), Mr Naidu said the BMS founder gave a call for ‘swadeshi’ but at the same time maintained that one should change with times.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had launched the Dattopant Thengadi birth centenary celebrations from Nagpur on November 10.

Asserting that inclusive growth is the requirement of the day, Mr Naidu said Dattopant Thengadi believed that farmers and workers are the real wealth of the country and there should be a harmony between wealth and labour.

Senior RSS leader Dattatreya Hosabale said Thengadi had given the call for a “swadeshi aandolan” and was also the founder of economic freedom movement of the country.

He said at a time when only two economic models were being presented across the globe — capitalism and socialism/communism, the late RSS prachark gave the third way, the ‘Indian way’. Mr Hosabale said Thengadi believed that modernisation is possible even without westernisation.    

Former Gujarat governor O.P. Kohli, who also addressed the event, said Thengadi was an “organisational builder” and a “swadeshi thinker”.