Former CBI Director M. Nageswara Rao has officially launched the Sarvajana Sanatan Party (SSP) from Varanasi, with Jyotirmath Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati as its chief mentor and spiritual guide. After nearly four decades in police and civil service, Rao is stepping into politics advocating a blend of economic development and ancient civilisational values.
Political Entry and Party Vision
M. Nageswara Rao, an Odisha cadre 1986-batch IPS officer and two-time interim CBI director, rejected political offers twice before finally agreeing to start the SSP. Rao emphasizes that governance must align economic progress with the “Sanatana” ethos. He champions free quality education, universal healthcare, and support for youth, farmers, artisans, labourers, small businesses, and entrepreneurs.
The party also seeks to preserve temples and pilgrimage sites as key civilisational centers. “Truly, secularism means equal treatment without caste, regional, or religious bias,” Rao said. The SSP aims to modernize India while rooting it firmly in its cultural and constitutional heritage.
Party Leadership and Motto
The SSP’s leadership includes national vice president Mahant Tirthanand, vice president Ritu Rathod, general secretary Raja Saksham Singh Yogi, spokesperson Babita Sharma, Uttar Pradesh incharge Rakesh Tiwari, and organisation minister Narnarayan Singh. Its motto is “Modern India, with its Sanatan civilizational roots” (Satyasanatan, Nitya Noutan).
Rao defined the party’s goal as not looking backward but building a modern India connected to its cultural identity. He launched the party from Kashi, the spiritual capital of India, underscoring the deeper cultural ground the party intends to restore.
Electoral Plans and Alliances
The SSP marks a new political development, being the fifth party to emerge from Telugu-speaking states recently. The party intends to contest elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Manipur, and Uttarakhand, aiming to field candidates in key battlegrounds. It identifies as a pro-civilisation outfit, open to alliances with pro-Hindu parties in the 2027 state polls.
Rao stated he will not contest elections himself but will serve as a political mentor. He is also known for his advocacy of Hindu cultural assertion and has authored “A Quiver Full of Arrows.”
