‘Rural development’ could be in focus during RSS chief’s Kolkata visit in January

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat – scheduled to visit Kolkata in January – is expected to delve deeper into issues concerning rural development, creation of alternative job opportunities, and changing societal structure.

A senior activist, however, adds that demographic changes and public (government) administration of temples are other issues that could crop up during discussions in meetings Bhagwat attends.

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Bhagwat’s five-day visit, as planned, begins on January 19. While annually, visiting a prant (an administrative division) is a convention (besides visits strictly for organisational work), this year Bhagwat will be addressing a gathering in central Kolkata on January 23, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s birthday. He is also set to meet important people from different walks of life. Besides West Bengal, such people from Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Sikkim, and north-eastern states are expected to be in Kolkata for the meeting, tentatively scheduled on January 19.

“There are three or four major themes, we expect, that will be in focus during his visit. Development of the rural areas, alternative job opportunities, differences among sections of society, and environment. The idea is how to have a better society,” a senior Sangh representative told Deccan Herald.

“The demographic imbalance is a concern. Also administration of temples is another issue. We expect that these issues will figure too,” a senior Sangh activist told Deccan Herald.

The state is scheduled to have rural polls next year, but regional Sangh affiliates suggest that high-profile visits are not planned with such issues in mind.

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The Sangh has been making great efforts in its outreach efforts to towns, and to the villages, as it gears up for a centenary celebration in 2025. At present, RSS has around 2,300 active shakhas (local units) in the state.