Sudarshan became Sarsanghachalak (Supreme chief) of the RSS on 10 March 2000. He succeeded Rajendra Singh, who stepped down on health grounds.
In his acceptance speech,Sudarshan recalled how he was hand-picked to head the Madhya Bharat region. He said though initially he was hesitant to take up the responsibility, the then RSS Sarsanghachalak Guruji Golwalkar helped him to make up his mind. "I was able to discharge my duties because people senior to me fully co-operated with me," he said.
A strong votary of swadeshi, he was seen as one of the hard-liners within the RSS. He had often criticised the National Democratic Alliance government in general and the Bharatiya Janata Party in particular for its economic policies. In 2005, his statements suggesting that both Atal Behari Vajpayee and L.K.Advani step aside and let a younger leadership take charge of the BJP created a rift within the Sangh parivar. He stepped down as Sarsanghachalak on 21 March 2009, due to poor health.
He was popularly known in Sangh circles as "Sudarshan Ji". He died at the age of 81 in Raipur on 15 September 2012.
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