Participation of youngsters in primary training camps drops by 8 pc in 2016-17 compared to previous year
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has added nearly 700 shakhas in the last fiscal with the total number going up to 57,233 across India as on April 2017. The organisation's Prathmik Shikshan Varg (PSV) — primary training camps for youngsters — have also increased. From 961 camps last year, they increased to 1,060 in 2016-17.
However, volunteer participation in these camps have dropped by 8 per cent over the last year, states the RSS' annual report presented at its annual meeting in Coimbatore on March 19-21.
While 32,230 shakhas participated in primary training camps last year, only 29,127 participated this year. The number of youngsters attending these camps has gone down from 1.12 lakh to 1.04 lakh in a year. The numbers were rising gradually since 2014 when the BJP came to power at the Centre.
The PSV, a week's course held at the district levels in April and October-November every year, are meant for newcomers aged between 18 and 40 years.
Observers say that the drop in participation indicates the declining popularity of the saffron organisation due to hardline approach leading to various controversies. Pramod Bapat, Sangh's Prachar Pramukh, however, defended the dwindling numbers. "Participation appears low because we took fewer newcomers this year for the training. Our screening process is tough," claimed Bapat.
He also insisted that many youngsters were pressed into rural development work this year, for which separate training sessions were held.
The annual report doesn't give comparative figures for three other training courses, considered to be a higher level and have longer training periods.
The report highlights the RSS' extensive work and training camps in Kerala's educational institutions and getting a large number of medical, engineering and management students into the RSS fold under the supervision of Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat.
It also talks about the RSS' rapid growth in the villages of south Tamil Nadu along highways and in urban slums of Andhra Pradesh.
The annual meet chaired by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat also passed a resolution accusing the TMC government of discriminating against Hindus in West Bengal.
Gujarat plan
For the Gujarat Assembly elections, slated to be held in November-December this year, Hindutva seems to be the central theme. Virat Hindu Sammelan held in Ahmedabad last and the promise of a stricter cow protection law by the Vijay Rupani government are indications that the BJP is looking to revive Hindutva to retain its hold in Gujarat, the home state of PM Narendra Modi.
The RSS is also ready with its ground strategy for every taluka and town across the 182 constituencies in the state. The annual report gives a detailed account of the fresh organisational set-up in the state.
"A 15-member committee is constituted in each town and tehsil of the Prant with five karyakartas of 'Jagarana' category and 10 from social leadership. A conference of all these members was held at two places in the state.
The total attendance was 1331 karyakartas from 176 tehsils. Samajik Sadbhav meetings would be organized throughout the state in a phased manner in future," states the report.
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