Patrikal English, March 13: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) commenced its three-day All India Representative Assembly meeting on Friday at the Madhav Srishti campus. The event was inaugurated at 9 AM by Sarsanghchalak Dr. Mohan Bhagwat and General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, who offered floral tributes to a portrait of Bharat Mata. Approximately 1,400 representatives from across the country are participating in the meeting.
During a press conference, Joint General Secretary C.R. Mukund highlighted the overwhelming response from the community towards the Centenary Celebrations of the RSS. He noted that the goodwill of the society has significantly boosted the morale of the volunteers. The centenary celebrations commenced on October 2, 2025, in Nagpur, in the presence of former President Ram Nath Kovind and Sarsanghchalak Dr. Mohan Bhagwat. A day prior, the Indian government issued a commemorative postage stamp and a memorial coin in honor of the RSS.
Mukund outlined two primary objectives for the centenary year: expanding the organization and uniting the community’s goodwill for harmony and togetherness. As part of the ongoing home contact campaign, outreach has reached over 10 crore households and 390,000 villages across various states, with efforts continuing in remaining regions.
Importantly, the outreach has been conducted without any bias towards any class or community. For instance, in Kerala, volunteers engaged with over 55,000 Muslim families and more than 54,000 Christian families, receiving a warm welcome from all.
To date, 37,048 Hindu conferences have been held nationwide, attracting approximately 3.5 crore participants. These conferences took place in urban, rural, tribal, and remote areas. In a remote region of Arunachal Pradesh, attendees expressed feeling a sense of belonging for the first time. Through these conferences, messages promoting social harmony, environmental conservation, pride in indigenous culture, strengthening family structures, and awareness of civic duties are being conveyed.
Mukund also mentioned that discussions with prominent citizens have been organized. Dr. Mohan Bhagwat has been directly engaging with people in four metropolitan cities and several state capitals, addressing over 1,000 questions in programs spanning more than 20 hours.
On the expansion of RSS activities, he reported that in the past year, work has begun in 3,943 new locations, increasing the number of branches from 51,740 to 55,683, and the total number of branches from 83,129 to 88,949, marking the establishment of 5,820 new branches within a year. The RSS aims to establish more branches in villages and towns to foster positive change in society.
The organization welcomed the government’s peace and development efforts in Naxal-affected areas and expressed satisfaction over the restoration of peace in Manipur, commending the role of volunteers there. Concerns were raised regarding the situation of Hindus in Bangladesh, with hopes for an improvement in conditions.
At the start of the meeting, tributes were paid to several prominent personalities who have passed away, including Satgurudas Maharaj, Dr. Madhav Gadgil, Shivraj Patil, Salumarada Thimmakka, K.N. Dixit, Ajit Pawar, Dharmendra, AVM Saravanan, Swaraj Kaushal, Vinay Hegde, R. Nallakannu, and Praful Govind Baruah.
The RSS centenary celebrations will continue with various activities until October 2026, aiming to unite the community’s goodwill for nation-building. The press conference was also attended by All India Co-Press Chief Narendra Thakur and Pradeep Joshi, among other officials.