Amit Shah-led panel okayed Rs 76 lakh spend on RSS centenary ads: Ministry

The Union ministry of culture spent Rs 7,613,129 on print advertisements to commemorate the centenary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), according to information obtained through a Right to Information request, reported The Wire.

The RTI application, filed by Amravati-based Ajay Basudev Bose, sought details of government expenditure on advertisements issued in connection with the RSS’s 100th anniversary celebrations. The ministry confirmed that the cost of the advertisements was borne directly by it, though the amount does not reflect the total expenditure on the wider centenary events.

The RSS, founded in Nagpur on 27 September 1925, completed 100 years in 2025. The centenary programme on 1 October 2025 was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who also released a commemorative coin and postage stamp to mark the occasion, The Wire reported.

Responding to queries from The Wire, culture ministry secretary Vivek Agarwal said the commemoration was part of the ministry’s ‘Centenaries and Anniversaries’ programme, under which the government marks milestone years of institutions, individuals and events approved by the National Implementation Committee (NIC), chaired by the Union home minister.

Agarwal said issuing advertisements and commemorative material such as coins and stamps is standard practice for such anniversaries. He cited other examples including celebrations linked to Sardar Patel, Guru Tegh Bahadur and Ahilyabai Holkar.

The Wire report noted that the development has drawn attention because the Constitution envisages India as a secular state, raising questions about the use of public funds to promote programmes linked to organisations associated with a particular ideology.

Supreme Court advocate Sanjay Hegde told The Wire that while such expenditure may not violate any explicit law, it raises concerns regarding fairness and the neutrality of the state. He pointed out that governments have historically avoided using public funds for celebrations of political organisations, and said clearer legal safeguards may be needed.

The Wire also highlighted the ideological proximity between the RSS and sections of the current political establishment, noting culture minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat’s past association with RSS-linked organisations and his praise for the Sangh as a “formidable school of nation-building” during the centenary celebrations.