Key RSS meet in Jan, state polls on agenda

NEW DELHI: The three-day All India Samanvay Baithak or annual meeting of organisations under the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) will be held on January 5 in Hyderabad, people familiar with the matter said.

While the meeting traditionally does not culminate in any resolutions, this time, it is expected to discuss key issues facing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Sangh Parivar ahead of elections in five states.

However, no ministers are likely to attend the meeting and BJP attendees are unlikely to stay for more than a day if the elections are announced by the Election Commission of India by then, the people cited above said.

“The meeting is normally an opportunity for all organisations to share their work and experiences,” Narendra Thakur, a key spokesperson of RSS, said.

“At the meeting, delegates also share suggestions with each other and there is also a discussion on current issues,” he added. The heads of as many as 40 organisations, including the BJP, are expected to attend the meeting along with other representatives of outfits like Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad(abvp).

Around 250-300 people, including BJP president J P Nadda and party national general secretary B L Santhosh, are expected to attend the meet.

“We can expect the exchange of larger ideas on national security at the January meeting,” one of the people cited above said on condition of anonymity.

January’s meeting will be followed by another key meeting of the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha, the highest decision making body of the RSS, in March in Ahmedabad.

“No one from the government is expected to attend the January meet. If the elections are announced by then, then BJP attendees won’t stay for more than a day,’’ a second person said, seeking anonymity. The last meet was held in January.