RSS flourishes in West Bengal: Adds 250 shakhas in just one year

KOLKATA: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has added more than 250 shakhas across Bengal in the last one year, and it plans to go beyond block levels to 'reach out' to people at 'mandal' or gram panchayat level. A senior Sangh functionary explained that the rising number was a result of 'the increased response from socially and economically backward areas' of Bengal, which prompted the organisation to 'spread its network'.
After gaining considerable traction in Hooghly district and Durgapur, the number of shakhas have grown from around 1,100 in 2016 to more than 1,350 in 2017. "Growth is being witnessed in areas where people lack basic facilities like education and health. We are getting response from people. Based on the response, we are spreading in areas where people have expressed their willingness for seva," the Sangh functionary said. He added that localised development models had helped the organisation grow by more than 20 per cent in Bengal in the last one year. At present, RSS operates through 910 shakhas in 650 places in south Bengal and 452 shakhas in 373 places in north Bengal. The number of weekly activities or milans stands at 1,092 and there are 226 mandali (monthly congregation) across the state.

In its report at the three-day meeting of the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha, the highest decision-making body of the RSS has underlined its increased acceptance across Bengal.