Mumbai (Maharashtra): Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat should support the opposition bloc - INDIA to "save the democracy" in the nation, said Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray-faction) leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday.

Mr Raut's remark came after the RSS chief while addressing a gathering at 'Vijayadashmi Utsav' in Maharashtra's Nagpur, said that "there are some people in the world and in India who do not want that India should move forward. They try to create factions and clashes in society."

To this, Mr Raut responded, saying if Mohan Bhagwat is trying to indicate this towards the opposition, then he should be the first one to join the INDIA bloc, as democracy of the country is in danger today.

"...If people carrying different ideologies came into the INDIA alliance and they are trying to fight against dictatorship, then Mohan Bhagwat (RSS Chief) should support the INDIA alliance to save the nation, democracy and the constitution," Mr Raut said while speaking to media in Mumbai.

"During the Emergency, the Sangh leaders of that time were in jail, people having varying views were in jail and later they came together with the Bharatiya Janata Party and formed the Janata Party and ended the dictatorship. You should know this if you don't know, then I would like to say that Lal Krishna Advani is still alive, he was also in jail, Atal Ji was also sent to jail, people with different views along with him, including Jayprakash Narayan. We have to tell Mohan Bhagwat ji that this is the misfortune of this country", he added.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader reiterated the INDIA bloc's claim of "Chinese occupation" on a piece of Indian land in Ladakh.

"If you talk about Manipur, then talk about Ladakh too. Today is Dussehra. Today is a holy day, everyone should speak the truth", Sanjay Raut said.

Earlier today, RSS Chief Bhagwat, while addressing a gathering at 'Vijayadashmi Utsav' in Maharashtra's Nagpur, said, "...There are some people in the world and in also India who do not want that India should move forward... They try to create factions and clashes in society. Because of our unawareness and lack of belief, we also sometimes get entangled in it, and unnecessary nuisances are created...If India progresses, they will not be able to play their games; therefore, they continuously oppose. They adopt particular ideologies just for the sake of opposing".

Speaking on the violence that had ensued in Manipur, the RSS Chief called on civil society to bridge the gap of mutual mistrust.

"In Manipur, when people on both sides of the conflict are seeking peace, which are these forces that are attempting to trigger hatred and violence by causing an incident as soon as any positive step is seen being taken in that direction? Multidimensional efforts will be required to solve this grave problem. To resolve this vexed problem, we would need strong political will, concurrent actions and efficiency. Simultaneously, the enlightened leadership of society will also have to play a special role in bridging the gap of mutual distrust that has arisen due to the unfortunate situation between the two communities"

The INDIA bloc is an alliance of 28 political parties, formed to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Lok Sabha polls in 2024.