Aimed at increasing its presence across the country, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) has decided to add more youths as its volunteers and start more ‘sakhas’ (daily meetings by itsvolunteers).
The saffron organisation, which will hold a three-day meeting of its highest policy formulation body – Akhil Bharatiya Karyakari Mandal – from Thursday, will also discuss strategy to wrest power for the BJP in the State 2017 assembly polls.
“We are trying to improve our appeal among youngsters so as to attract more youths towards the organisation and our ‘sakhas’ which are instrumental in character-building…The meet will discuss the ways to attract youths towards the RSS. Effort is to make the RSS more relevant to today’s generation. We hope to add over 1 lakh youths this year and start new ‘sakhas’,” a senior RSS functionary said.
The meeting will also discuss some other key issues which include “forced conversion”, “love jihad”, “cow slaughter” and “Ganga cleaning”, besides discussing situation arising from terrorism, skirmishes at the international border and impact of Chinese imports on Indian economy. Some important decisions on RSS representatives working in the BJP might also be taken at the meet.
Key focus will also be on Uttar Pradesh politics and devise a strategy to ensure BJP’s victory in assembly polls in 2017. Sources say volunteers of the RSS and its affiliates have been asked to “build contacts” with Dalits and backward caste communities so as to attract them towards the BJP and dent vote bases of the Bahujan Samaj Party and the ruling Samajwadi Party.
While the top brass of the RSS, including its ‘sarsanghchalak’ or head Mohan Bhagwat, and his deputy (‘sarkaryavah’ or general secretary) Bhaiyyaji Joshi, is already in Lucknow for the meeting, senior BJP leaders including party president Amit Shah has reached the State Capital to be part of the annual event, also known as ‘Diwali baithak’.
Around 400 key functionaries of the RSS along with top leaders ofother organisations of the ‘sangh parivar’ like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, Bajrang Dal, will attend the meet.