Kamal Ghorui
RSS plans shakha expansion, wider outreach to mark centenary year (Picture credit: PTI)
NEW DELHI: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) will focus on expanding its ‘shakhas’ and stepping up public outreach programmes during its centenary year, with the organisation saying it is pushing both organisational growth and wider social engagement as part of its 100th year initiatives.Addressing a press conference in Samalkha, Panipat, RSS joint general secretary C R Mukund said on Friday that “special emphasis” was being placed on the expansion of shakhas and outreach to society as the organisation marks its centenary year, as per news agency PTI.The remarks came as RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale inaugurated the three-day Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS), the Sangh’s top decision-making body, in Haryana’s Samalkha.
Focus on shakha growth and social engagement
Mukund said the Sangh’s centenary-year plans have “two main dimensions” — organisational expansion through shakha growth, and a parallel effort to engage society, build harmony and mobilise people for “social transformation, and public awakening”.He said the RSS has already reached out to more than 10 crore homes under its ‘grihasampark’ (mass contact) programme and covered more than 3 lakh villages across the country.As part of this outreach, Mukund said the organisation has also seen what he described as a positive impact of “sabbhav gosti” and “pramukh nagrik gostis”, according to PTI.
Kerala outreach highlighted
Highlighting outreach efforts in Kerala, Mukund said RSS volunteers visited a wide cross-section of homes, including Muslim, Christian and even communist-leaning households.“In Kerala, over 55,000 Muslim and 54,000 Christian homes were covered under the public outreach initiative,” he said.“We received a warm welcome everywhere we went. Our ‘swayamsevaks’ reached out to 55,000 Muslim and 54,000 Christian homes,” Mukund added, noting that the Sangh also extended the initiative to tribal regions.
Hindu Sammelans, youth meets and social harmony programmes
As this year marks the centenary of the RSS, the ABPS meeting is expected to hold detailed discussions on major campaigns planned for the celebrations. These include ‘grihasampark’, Hindu Sammelans, youth conferences, gatherings of prominent citizens and social harmony meetings.Mukund said Hindu Sammelans have already been held at more than 36,000 places across the country, with more events planned in urban centres, rural areas and remote regions.He also said the Sangh is trying to engage prominent citizens in different localities as community leaders and is working at the block level with local leaders, heads of spiritual organisations and heads of religious centres to promote harmony and social reform.
Panch Parivartan and wider issues
Mukund also spoke about the RSS’ ‘panch parivartan’ initiative, which focuses on social harmony, preservation of family values, environmental protection, selfhood and self-reliance, and adherence to legal, civic and constitutional duties.“Together, we aim to deliberate upon and implement positive initiatives that bring about necessary social reforms. Specifically, the Sangh has identified five transformations. Five key themes representing the changes currently desired within society,” he said, according to PTI.On wider issues, Mukund said the situation in Naxal-affected areas is gradually returning to normal due to the government’s efforts, while “political stability is coming” in Manipur and ongoing dialogue among communities is yielding results.He also said the Sangh wants the Bangladesh government to take necessary steps to protect the rights and interests of Hindus there. Asked about the West Asia conflict, Mukund said the crisis should end soon, adding that this is what “we and the Indian society believe”.
Key meet underway in Samalkha
The three-day ABPS meeting will review the RSS’ activities during 2025-26 and assess major initiatives undertaken across regions, RSS Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh Sunil Ambekar had said earlier, reported PTI.A total of 1,487 karyakartas, including elected representatives and key office-bearers from across the country, are attending the meeting, along with presidents, general secretaries and organising secretaries of 32 affiliated organisations. BJP chief Nitin Nabin and senior functionaries of the Sangh’s sister organisations are also expected to be present.
