Farmers Movement Archive

Sangh Parivar 2-day coordination meet starts in Nagpur

Nagpur: Leaders of Sangh Parivar constituents began a two-day closed door meet at RSS’s Smruti Mandir campus on Friday. Organizing secretaries of all RSS-affiliated outfits, including BJP’s BL Santosh, are learnt to have reached Nagpur for the meet. The RSS, which has preferred not to comment on the proceedings, dubs it as an informal get-together that happens each year in September. This time, the meet coincides plans of protests by Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) — the trade union arm of the RSS and also Kisan Sabha — farmers’ body. The Kisan Sabha protests will be held on September 8 demanding a law on minimum support price (MSP) followed by BMS against rising prices of all essential commodities. A senior functionary of the RSS contacted by TOI said the discussions were informal and not for public consumption. “All the issues that are of national importance are certainly discussed, although in an informal manner,” said the source. Independent RSS observer and also a veteran swayamsevak Dilip Deodhar said the meet would be discussing a whole gamut of issues from the forthcoming assembly polls in five states — Uttar Pradesh, Punjab Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur — to also having a more liberal image of the Sangh. The discussions would include Mumbai civic polls too, with plans drawn to defeat Shiv Sena. Plans are expected to be drawn considering the political developments in Punjab and in the light of Akali Dal walking out of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), said Deodhar. He also claimed that Sangh Parivar is also planning to increase its presence in the cooperative sector through its arm — Sahakar Bharati. At present, the sector is dominated by NCP and Congress in Maharashtra, he added. Even the developments in Afghanistan are expected to be discussed during the meet, in the light of its impact on India. There is a section in the RSS, which leans towards a more radical ideology, but there are also a view to change the image as against a general perception of being against Muslims, said Deodhar. The meet may discuss proposals on changing the history curriculum and making it more nationalistic, he said.

The Times of India

2021-09-04

Nagpur