RSS magazine labels recent student and election protests part of ideological conspiracy

Recent agitations across India over campus suicides, electoral rolls, and digital payment rules are part of an orchestrated campaign by a communist- Islamist cabal, according to an editorial in the RSS-affiliated magazine Organiser.

Key Allegations

Organiser editor Prafulla Ketkar wrote that anti-Bharat forces from outside are funding these protests, while some opposition parties are falling prey to them for short-term political gains. The editorial, titled 'Protest Season – IIT Bombay, Election Commission & UPI: Saving Gandhi and Ambedkar from Marx and Mao,' argues that identity-based politics and caste sentiments are being invoked to alienate the public from the government and discredit key institutions.

Specific Issues

Addressing the recent suicide of an IIT Bombay student, the editorial stated that an issue of alleged examination cheating and disciplinary action was wrongly turned into a caste discrimination debate. It maintained that student suicides stem from family pressure and mental health struggles rather than institutional bias, and warned that ideological activism harms the IIT brand. The piece also defended the Election Commission against criticism over electronic voting machines and electoral roll revisions, questioning whether controversies surrounding the poll body follow a deliberate pattern.

UPI Fees and Internal Dissent

The magazine defended a proposed merchant discount rate of up to 0.4 percent on commercial UPI transactions above two thousand rupees, arguing the minimal cost will not harm individual users and dismissing criticism as an attack on national technology. This stance openly contradicts another RSS affiliate, the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, whose national co-convener Ashwani Mahajan recently urged the government to drop the MDR move because it could favor foreign card networks like Visa and Mastercard.

Context

Magazines affiliated with ideological organisations like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh often publish editorials to signal policy positions and frame political narratives for their cadres. The internal debate over digital payment fees highlights how different groups within the same ideological family can hold conflicting views on economic policy and digital infrastructure.