People should not vote on caste, religion basis: Bhagwat

Ahead of upcoming crucial Assembly polls and Lok Sabha elections next year, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday said that people should vote wisely for parties which unite and not divide the country and also not on the basis of caste, creed or religion.

Without taking any names, he said that the RSS was not standing behind any political party nor would it support any political party in future.

"In a democracy elections takes place and voters become the king for a day. People vote on one day and then they have to suffer for five years. Sometimes they have to suffer for several years. And that is why the Election Commission has said vote wisely," Bhagwat told RSS cadres on the occasion of Vijayadashmi at its headquarters here.

Bhagwat said that every citizen should exercise their right to vote and voting should be always 100 per cent.

"But whom to vote, the decision should be taken wisely. The decision should not be taken on the basis of caste, creed or religion. The decision should be on the basis of keeping the national interest in mind," he said.

He said voters should think how the country would go forward and who would work to unite the country. They should also check who wants to divide the country for their political ambitions, he added.

Bhagwat also said that the voter should also see who shall bring transparency, whose character is clean and who can be trusted.

Expressing himself against NOTA, Bhagwat said that by selecting the 'None of the Above' (NOTA) option, a voter chooses the "available worst against the available best".

--IANS

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