RSS to hold its workshop in West Bengal after a gap of twenty years

KOLKATA: After a gap of twenty years, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) will hold its three-day youth workshop in West Bengal from January 11. The workshop will be held at Gayeshpur in Nadia district which was once a BJP stronghold. In 1992, the RSS had held its workshop in the same Gayeshpur area for the last time.

The RSS official Krishanu Mitra told ET on Wednesday that the workshop will be inaugurated at the Goshala ground in Gayeshpur by the organisation's all-India general secretary Bhaiyaji Joshi. "Dr Manohar Rao Bhagawat will address the concluding session on January 13," Mitra said.

He claimed that this was for the first time that they were going to hold the youth workshop in West Bengal. "Youths whose age fall between 15 and 40 year are eligible to attend the workshop. Already 11,000 youths from south Bengal districts have registered their names for the workshop. Delegates from countries like UK and USA will also attend the workshop.

"Former ISRO chief G Madhavan Nayar is also likely to attend our workshop as a special guest," Mitra informed. He claimed that the RSS will run the three-day workshop on its own. "Even we will not use the electricity supplied by different power utilities. We will use pollution free soundless generators to supply electricity at our workshop for the thee days," he added.

The RSS workshop in West Bengal just before the next year's panchayat elections is politically significant. The RSS is considered to be the main force behind the BJP and their workshop before the panchayat elections, will certainly help the BJP to strengthen its organisational network.

The BJP has gained strength in West Bengal after Mamata Banerjee became the chief minister last year by removing the CPIM from power. The party had organised a huge gathering in Kolkata recently and BJP top brass is happy with the party's state unit for organising the rally. It is very likely that RSS workshop will provide moral strength to the state BJP leadership before the panchayat elections.