RSS rejects Kharge's ban call amid centenary planning at Jabalpur meet

Jabalpur, Nov 1 (IANS) The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has firmly rebuffed Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's recent demand for a nationwide ban on the organisation, asserting that such a move lacks rationale and ignores its enduring public acceptance.

The riposte came from RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale during a press conference on the second day of the All India Executive Board meeting here, convened to chart the path for the Sangh's centenary year.

Hosabale, addressing reporters in Madhya Pradesh's Kachnar City, emphasised the RSS's unwavering commitment to nation-building. "There must be a reason to impose a ban," he declared. "What would be gained by proscribing an organisation deeply engaged in societal upliftment? The people of India have long embraced the RSS as their own."

His remarks underscore the Sangh's self-perception as a cultural vanguard, not a political adversary, amid escalating partisan rhetoric.

The three-day conclave, inaugurated on October 30 by RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat and Hosabale with floral tributes to Bharat Mata, marks a pivotal moment.

Attended by over 400 top functionaries—including all six joint general secretaries, regional pracharaks, and provincial leaders from 11 zones and 46 provinces—it is the first such gathering in Jabalpur in 41 years.

Discussions centre on commemorating the RSS's 100th anniversary, founded on Vijayadashami in 1925 by Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, and addressing broader national concerns like electoral roll revisions and social harmony. As the centenary year (2025-26) — officially launched last month — the RSS envisions expansive outreach. Plans include over 100,000 Hindu conferences nationwide, a door-to-door campaign spanning November 2025 to January 2026 to connect with every administrative block, and 100 specialised training camps.

A three-day lecture series by Bhagwat in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Kolkata kicks off on August 26, fostering dialogue on identity, integrity, and inspiration. Global engagements will invite diplomats (excluding select nations), while tributes to figures like Guru Tegh Bahadur's 350th martyrdom anniversary and Birsa Munda's 150th birth anniversary highlight cultural reverence.

Kharge's intervention, voiced on October 31, invoked Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's 1948 ban post-Gandhi's assassination and a 1966 prohibition on government employees joining RSS activities—lifted last year. He accused the RSS and BJP of fomenting law-and-order chaos, urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to honour Patel's legacy by reinstating curbs.

Kharge's son, Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge, echoed this by calling for RSS exclusion from state institutions to prevent "brainwashing" youth.

The BJP swiftly countered, with spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla branding Congress's invocation of Patel as hypocritical, given decades of sidelining his contributions.

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram voiced internal scepticism, questioning the ban's feasibility in today's legal landscape. Hosabale's poised rebuttal reframes the narrative: from confrontation to contribution.

As the meeting concludes on Saturday, the RSS signals readiness for introspection over extravagance—eschewing lavish festivities for rededication to a "united Hindu society" propelling Bharat's global ascent. In an era of polarised discourse, this Jabalpur summit reaffirms the Sangh's long-game ethos: resilience through roots, expansion via engagement.

--IANS

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