Backing Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's elevation in the Bharatiya Janata Party, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat on Tuesday said that Hindutva was the only way to bring about change in the country.

In a veiled reference to senior BJP leader L K Advani and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's opposition to Modi, Bhagwat said, "Whether somebody likes it or not, Hindutva is the only way to bring about change in the country. It is where the country's respect lies."

"We have changed leaders and agendas, nothing has worked. Politics is not the way to make India a superpower, it is only Hindutva that can do it," the RSS chief said while speaking at a Sangh's programme in Meerut.

Accusing the central government of failing on the diplomatic front, Bhagwat said, "The country's borders are not safe. China entered into our territory and left on its own conditions, but we could not teach them a lesson."

"Pakistan is moving around scot-free after murdering Sarabjit Singh (Indian prisoner)," he said. Advocating strict action against Naxalites, the RSS chief said, "They should be dealt with bullets and not through talks."

Image: A supporter of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi 'Photograph: Reuters