Varanasi: Former CBI Director M Nageshwar Rao has taken the plunge in politics.
A 1986-batch Odisha cadre IPS officer, Rao announced his new political role as the national president of the Sarvjan Sanatan Party (SSP) from the sacred city of Varanasi, ANI reported.
Welcomed by SSP national vice-president Mahant Tirthanand and other party leaders, Rao said India needs to move forward embracing modern development while remaining true to its civilisational roots.
Referring to his experience of working in the fields of security, law and order, and administration for nearly four decades, Rao said that India’s reconstruction cannot be limited to administrative reforms alone.
On the SSP’s vision, the former top cop said Sanatan is not merely a method of worship, but a life-view rooted in truth, dharma, duty, compassion, justice, self-control, nature, family, society, and public welfare.
Describing Kashi as the starting point of his political chapter, Rao said Sanatan needs to be seen not only as an electoral symbol but also as a reflection of its values in education, health, livelihoods, governance, culture, and social life.
He emphasised the need to preserve temples and pilgrimage sites as living institutions of Indian civilisation, rather than merely as places of worship, and to foster respect, transparency, and meaningful social participation in them.
Amid the political discourse and debates on Sanatan, Rao clarified that it is not against anyone, and the party’s objective is not to oppose any caste or community, but to work for all rather than create social divisions.
Party’s vision
The party said its vision is based on four key pillars: Education – A connection to Indian civilisation, history, and knowledge traditions with modern and global-level education; Health – Quality and accessible healthcare for all, combining knowledge from modern medicine and Indian health traditions; Livelihood – A respectable livelihood and opportunities for youth, farmers, artisans, labourers, small businesses, and entrepreneurs; Civilizational Reconnection – Viewing India’s languages, arts, temples, pilgrimage sites, festivals, knowledge traditions, family, and cultural institutions as the nation’s strength.