New DelhiAugust 22, 2025 09:59 PM IS
First printed: August 22, 2025 at 9:58pm
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In a motion full of symbolism, the RSS has introduced that former President Ram Nath Kovind will change into the chief visitor of Vijayadashami Ussaf, the a centesimal anniversary. Scheduled at 7:40am at Lessinbag in Nagpur, the occasion marks the a centesimal anniversary of Solar. RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat will present the keynote speech.
Kovind, the second president of the Dalit neighborhood after the late Kr Narayanan, brings political and social resonance when the difficulty of caste and illustration controls nationwide discourse. Traditionally critics have been accused of being “brachmanic” in character, RSS has been attempting to venture a picture of inclusion by means of the Samagjik Samurasta (Social Concord) marketing campaign lately.
Formally launched in 2022 at Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS), the marketing campaign focuses on dismantling caste-based obstacles, notably people who restrict entry to shared social assets similar to wells, crematoriums and temples. Senior leaders of Sangh have repeatedly emphasised that addressing caste discrimination will not be a tactical selection, however moderately a “religion article” that’s central to RSS’s imaginative and prescient of Hindu unification.
Talking at ABPS in March 2024, RSS Sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale highlighted the group’s willpower to finish exclusion practices. “Denying entry to wells, crematoriums, temples and lakes is opposite to the spirit of our civilization. True social transformation can solely happen when society itself is accountable,” he stated in accordance with a press release on rss.org.
Sangh has related this message with iconic gestures through the years.
Vijayadashami, the founding date of RSS, has usually been used to emphasise dedication to social concord. In 2016, for instance, a number of state items within the Solar invited Dalit spiritual leaders to preside on native occasions. Kovind’s a centesimal anniversary selection brings this symbolism to the nationwide stage.
This announcement comes within the new debate on the illustration of caste. We discovered the RSS navigating an more and more tough social panorama as opposition parliaments presses for a caste census and calls for elevated reserving allocations. Solar reveals openness to data-driven welfare, however warns that caste enumeration shouldn’t be a “political device” to deepen the division.
By putting Kovind (a broadly revered determine throughout the political spectrum) on the coronary heart of the a centesimal anniversary celebration, the RSS demonstrates its intentional intention to increase outreach amongst marginalized communities. Leaders inside the group argue that this isn’t a response to present political strain, however is in line with long-standing packages.
As a part of the Centenary Roadmap, Solar has introduced an enormous grassroots motion below the Samajik Samrasta Banner. A number of “Hindu sharks” and “Gargalsanpark Abhiyan” are deliberate nationwide, with the goal of bringing collectively numerous Hindu communities and inspiring dialogue on caste inequality. The marketing campaign additionally focuses on integrating Dalits into temple rituals and guaranteeing entry to public amenities in rural India. It is a delicate difficulty in some states.
Within the case of RSS, the a centesimal anniversary presents a chance to redefine that story. The Sangh operate claims {that a} motion in the direction of social concord has been underway for many years and is now foregrounded because the centre of its ideological venture. Kovind’s selection is meant to characterize this journey.
