RSS to hold key 3-day meeting ahead of Lok Sabha polls in Nagpur
Senior BJP functionaries including party president JP Nadda, general secretary Sunil Bansal and general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh will attend the RSS meeting in Nagpur
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)’s highest decision-making body Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS) is all set to hold a key three-day meeting ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Napur from March 15 where the leaders will discuss the roadmap to achieve the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s target of winning over 350 seats, nationwide implementation of a Uniform Civil Code, Manipur conflict, farmers’ protests and Sandeshkhali issue among others.
Senior BJP functionaries including party president JP Nadda, general secretary Sunil Bansal and general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh will attend the meeting, which is also expected to provide directives to the RSS rank and file to work hard for the saffron organisation when it is celebrating its centenary year in 2025.
The gathering is expected to outline strategies for achieving the ambitious goal of securing over 350 seats for the BJP and 400 seats for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the upcoming elections.
A prominent strategist within the BJP under the tutelage of Union home minister Amit Shah, Santhosh will reportedly present the party’s election strategy and seek input from the RSS leadership. The meeting will be attended by approximately 1,550 top office bearers from the RSS and its affiliated organisations, including the BJP. RSS leaders Mohan Bhagwat and Dattatreya Hosabale will address the senior members of the Sangh Parivar during the event.
Discussions will also focus on leveraging the historic consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya to benefit the BJP in the elections, as well as formulating a population control policy to address demographic challenges. However, contentious issues such as the Gyanvyapi mosque and Mathura Eidgah disputes are unlikely to be addressed during the meeting.
Other topics on the agenda include resolving inter-community conflicts in Manipur and addressing the concerns of protesting farmers regarding Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their produce from the government are the two areas on which the Sangh affiliates, particularly Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), will make a presentation at the meeting.
The ABPS meeting, held every third year at the Sangh’s headquarters in Nagpur, will also involve discussions on social cohesion, environmental issues, sanitation, and citizens’ responsibilities in light of the upcoming 75th anniversary of the Indian Constitution. The ABPS will elect a new working committee, with Hosabale, expected to continue as the general secretary.
As the RSS gears up to celebrate its centenary year in 2025, plans to expand its reach across the country and to increase the number of shakhas to one lakh will also be on the agenda for the meeting. Suggestions for the year-long celebrations to commemorate 100 years of the RSS will be discussed.