Bhagwat asks Bengal unit to double volunteer number
Times of India | 14 February 2025
Kolkata: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has asked the organisation's Bengal unit to double the number of active swayamsevaks in the state as the Sangh celebrates its centenary year. He also asked them to take up more social service programmes. Bhagwat has been attending meetings with swayamsevaks in central and south Bengal.
The RSS chief has asked the Bengal unit to work closely with sister organisations like Vidya Bharati, Banabasi Seva Samiti and Seva Bharati. Swayamsevaks have been pursuing a no-plastic campaign at the Maha Kumbh. The state unit will also take up several such programmes in a number of fields. A swayamsevak said, "What the Sangh has been practising among closed groups within the shakhas should now be spread into society."
Swayamsevak numbers in Bengal have steadily been on the rise. In 2000, there were around 52,000 swayamsevaks in the state. The number increased to around 60,000 in 2010. In the next 12 years, the number increased by 10,000 more. At present, there are around 1 lakh active swayamsevaks in Bengal. South Bengal has the largest RSS base.
Ahead of assembly polls in states like Delhi, Haryana and Maharashtra, RSS had carried out intense and silent campaigns for BJP by asking voters to elect an "effective and accountable govt". Apart from door-to-door campaigns and small street meetings, swayamsevaks created narratives around issue-based and target group-focused themes.