By Gyan Verma

Two years before its centenary celebration, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is planning to take an unusual step by starting shakhas or morning congregations exclusively for Muslims and to be run by Muslims.

This is the first time in the nearly 100-year history of the RSS that such a move has been planned. The modalities are being worked out by the Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM), which is spearheading this campaign.

“This is an effort to start shakhas or morning gatherings of RSS workers for Muslims, and it will also be run by Muslims. It will be the first of its kind because such an exercise has never been undertaken before. It was during the meeting of MRM earlier this month that this thought came to its members to start shakhas for Muslims,” said Afzal Ahmed, the national convener of MRM.

Senior leaders of RSS involved in the project said the first such meeting was organised in Bhopal for a couple of days by Muslim members of MRM and RSS to see the response to the shakha.

Elaborating on the plans of MRM and RSS, senior leaders of the two groups said these shakhas will be different from the normal ones.

About RSS shakhas

According to RSS leaders, there are over 66,000 shakhas in the country.

“A normal shakha has a saffron flag. But for the shakhas for Muslims, it has been decided that instead of the saffron flag, the trademark flag of the RSS, we will have the national flag. This is an experiment. We are working out the modalities,” said a senior member of the RSS from its headquarters at Nagpur in the know about the development.

Among the things being worked out by the MRM and RSS are the songs that will be sung at the shakhas, the areas and cities to have them and the games to be played in these new gatherings.

“The MRM has a presence in at least 330 districts of the country. So, the first priority is to start such meetings in these districts and then expand the number as the membership of such gatherings increases,” the RSS leader from Nagpur told The Federal…

This story was originally published in thefederal.com. Read the full story here