Top RSS leaders meet in Kerala capital

The RSS leaders’ Kerala visit came amid the BJP’s bid to spread its wings in the southern State ahead of the Lok Sabha polls next year.

October 10, 2023 11:58 pm | Updated 11:58 pm IST - Thiruvananthapuram

RSS Chief Mohan Bhagavath being presented with an Onavillu by Mahesh, Executive officer of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple during his visit,  in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.

RSS Chief Mohan Bhagavath being presented with an Onavillu by Mahesh, Executive officer of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple during his visit, in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: S. MAHINSHA

Top 10 RSS leaders, including its chief Mohan Bhagwat and general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, held a two-day meeting here.

The two-day ‘baithak’ (meeting) of the senior RSS leaders that began on Monday is a “routine affair” happening in between two executive meetings of the organisation, a well-informed source told PTI.

“Usually, developments happening between two national executives are discussed in such meetings. Even if there are no developments, such meetings will be held. Only 10 top functionaries (of the RSS) are attending the meeting in Thiruvananthapuram,” the source said.

The meeting was held in Kerala as the RSS chief was touring the southern State.

Bhagwat, who has been in Kerala since October 7, attended various programmes, including the “Amritashatam lecture series” organised by Kesari Weekly in Kozhikode and a meeting of the State Sanghchalaks in Kollam on October 8.

Speaking on the topic ‘Organisational Science of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’ in Kozhikode on Saturday, Bhagwat said the Sangh organised the Hindus because “we are all Hindus” whose diversities go together.

“We have our languages, we have our worships, we have our castes and sub-castes, so many religions, so many ways of living...everything is different. Still, from times immemorial we are connected together. And as time passes, the diversity increases. One language becomes many languages. That happens in the natural course. Still, we are holding together. Why? Because this is our sanskar; this is our sanskriti,” Bhagwat said referring to the culture.

He further said “in this land, we sustain everybody, accept every diversity, and respect every diversity. We hold it as our mother, and we worship it as our mother. That is common in all castes, all languages, all religions—Desabhakti. Our DNA is common. We are one people. This is our motherland, our religious denominations are different. But this difference between the Bharatiyas and the rest of the world is very striking. Everywhere, it is evident, whatever may be the religion. So, this is Hindutva, and the society which behaves like this is Hindu society.”

The Hindu society should be organised because an organised society would create a prosperous country, he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Bhagwat offered prayers at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple here.

The RSS chief reached the shrine, where Lord Vishnu in a reclining Anantha Sayanam posture is the presiding deity at 6.40 a.m., the sources said.

The RSS leaders’ Kerala visit came amid the BJP’s bid to spread its wings in the southern State ahead of the Lok Sabha polls next year.

Buoyed by the BJP’s performance in polls in three northeastern states, including Christian-dominated Nagaland and Meghalaya, in March this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that the party-led alliance would form a government in Kerala too in the coming years.

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