RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat hits out at Bitcoin & OTT platforms; calls for regulation (VIDEO)

New Delhi: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, in his annual Vijayadashami speech in Nagpur on Friday, came down on the ‘uncontrolled mushrooming’ of cryptocurrency trade and OTT platforms in the country and also underlined the urgent need for bringing in regulations for their strict monitoring & vigilance.

RSS chief’s criticism of cryptocurrency, in particular Bitcoin, bring to fore the contentious issue of unregulated multi-million dollar business in India.

The legality of crypto market and the advent of lot of new & young investors in the digital currency trade is already a matter of debate in the country. The cryptocurrency market has been growing at a brisk pace in the country, despite lack of clarity and regulation in place.

Bhagwat said that Bitcoin has the potential to destabilise economies across the globe including the Indian economy and hence effective mechanisms need to be put in place to regulate it.

“Uncontrolled currencies, like Bitcoin, have the potential to destabilise the economy of all countries and pose serious challenges. The government must take steps to control these things,” Bhagwat said hitting out at the digital currency.

“India’s journey from Swadheenta (Independence) to Swantantra (self-model of governance) has been undermined by instruments like Bitcoin & OTT platforms,” he further said.

Rein in OTT content, says Bhagwat

This is for the first time that Mohan Bhagwat has spoken about these two burning issues. On OTT platforms, the Centre is in process of making guidelines while the crypto market still don’t have any regulation. Rather, the Supreme Court had overturned the ban on cryptocurrency trade.

Calling for strict oversight of the two, Bhagwat said that the RSS’cultural wing has already complained to Modi government several times in the past about the content being aired on these platforms.

#WATCH | “…There’s no control over what’s shown on OTT platforms, post Corona even children have phones. Use of narcotics is rising…how to stop it? Money from such businesses is used for anti-national activities…All of this should be controlled,”says RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat pic.twitter.com/PLELLPExdL

— ANI (@ANI) October 15, 2021

He said that in the absence of any regulatory framework, there is no control on OTT content and also no limit on what content, children watch on their phones.

“At present unregulated broadcast of varied material on OTT platforms are open for everyone’s indiscriminate consumption. In the backdrop of the pandemic online education was to be introduced. Today, School children were hooked to mobile phones during the Covid pandemic. It must be dealt with regulation,” he said.

‘Hindus should take over reins of Temple Boards’

In his address to swayamsevaks, RSS Sarsanghchalak touched upon a range of issues (apart from Bitcoin & OTT) including population control, civilian killings in Jammu and Kashmir and also state control of temples.

Expressing reservations over the way temples are run, Bhagwat said that Hindus must take over the reins of management of temples and ensure proceeds from collections are put to use for the welfare of the community alone and nobody else.

“The wealth of Hindu temples is used for non-Hindus – who have no faith in Hindu Gods. Even Hindus need it, but it is not used for them,” Bhagwat said.

Speaking on the management of temples, the RSS chief said that temples in South India are managed by state govts whereas in rest of the country, temples are run by governments as well as trusts.