Senior ministers, top RSS brass to meet next week; exchange notes on governance

NEW DELHI: The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh brass will huddle together with representatives from over three dozen of its affiliates, including the BJP, in the national capital next week for "coordination and exchange of notes."

The September 2-4 conclave will be attended by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and its top office-bearers. Several senior ministers of the Narendra Modi government are likely to drop in during the discussion on specific issues, sources from BJP and RSS affiliates confided. Sources indicated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi may also be present in one of the sessions.

Though RSS office-bearers sought to play down significance of the meet, suggesting it was a routine affair, it holds significance in the wake of the fact that this will be an opportunity for top ministers in the Modi government to exchange feedback with RSS affiliates gathered together.


"It is a routine coordination meeting. Though there have been meeting with representatives of sector specific RSS affiliates with minister of the concerned sector, this will be first collective meeting of top office-bearers of all RSS affiliate organisations where senior ministers will be provided feedback from the ground. In return, the ministers will also get an opportunity to explain the work they have been doing," confided a BJP functionary about the importance of the meeting.

Though a similar coordination meeting was conducted last September in Ludhiana, there was not much to exchange notes between RSS affiliates and Modi government as the government had completed just three months. The coordination meeting in Delhi this year holds significance as the government has come under criticism from several quarters, after 15 months in office. "We expect RSS affiliates to provide an honest feedback about various sectors," a BJP functionary said.

Representatives of RSS affiliates suggested that the discussion on education, security, economy and culture may be held and concerned ministers may be required to be present and exchange notes with the delegates. Ministers may also apprise about the work undertaken in respective sectors during last year.

Issues like internal security, situation in Jammu & Kashmir, situation in northeast, ties with Pakistan, tribal related issues, environment, education and economic policies may also come up for discussion. Senior RSS leaders Bhaiyyaji Joshi, Krishna Gopal and Indresh Kumar had a closed door meeting with home minister Rajnath Singh and defence minister Manohar Parrikar on internal and external security situation, where the issue of OROP also came up for discussion.