Former CBI director M Nageshwar Rao takes charge of political party

Former Central Bureau of Investigation director M Nageshwar Rao has entered active politics as the national president of the Sarvajana Sanatan Party. Rao assumed the position in Varanasi on Saturday, beginning a new phase after nearly four decades in security, law enforcement and public administration. According to an ANI report, he said his administrative experience had persuaded him that India’s reconstruction required more than institutional reform.

He said the country should pursue modern development while remaining connected to its civilisational roots. The party describes its broader vision as “Modern India, with its Sanatan civilizational roots”. Rao outlined four main pillars for the party: education, health, livelihood and civilisational reconnection.

On education, the party wants Indian civilisation, history and knowledge traditions connected with modern and global standards. Its health platform calls for accessible healthcare combining modern medicine with Indian health traditions. The livelihood agenda focuses on opportunities for young people, farmers, artisans, labourers, small businesses and entrepreneurs.

The fourth pillar emphasises India’s languages, arts, temples, pilgrimage sites, festivals, families and cultural institutions. Rao said the objective was not to return to the past but to build a modern country grounded in its heritage. He said Sanatan should not be treated only as an electoral symbol, describing it instead as a set of values applicable to governance, education, healthcare, culture and social life.

Rao also said the party was not directed against any caste or community and intended to work for all. Several party office-bearers attended the announcement in Varanasi, which Rao described as the starting point of his political journey.