By Ravik Bhattacharya , Atri Mitra
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s 10-day visit to West Bengal is going to culminate with a rally on Sunday, when he will address a gathering of swayamsevaks and others at an auditorium of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) in Purba Bardhaman district in the state.
Bhagwat’s stay in Bengal was marked with a range of crucial engagements – from closed-door meetings with the RSS’ regional functionaries that decided to focus on strengthening the organisation at the grassroots level, to inaugurating a new Sangh office, to meeting the parents of R G Kar rape-murder victim.
After the Purba Bardhaman district administration initially denied permission for the RSS rally, citing the ongoing West Bengal Board of Secondary Education examinations, the RSS had approached the Calcutta High Court, which on Friday overturned the administration’s denial.
“Since it is Sunday and only an hour-and-15-minute programme, the Calcutta High Court does not think anyone will have difficulty in that sense,” Justice Amrita Sinha observed.
Criticising the Trinamool Congress (TMC)-led Bengal government, general secretary of the RSS’s state unit Jishnu Basu said, “Why should we have to knock on the court’s door to organise a meeting where (Bhagwat) will speak? Day by day, the administration in Bengal is weakening. It is under political pressure. It is creating unnecessary roadblocks for an organisation like us. We (Bengal) are a border state and the administration should look into law and order and the growing tension in bordering areas.”
Although the Sangh functionaries called Bhagwat’s visit “routine”, it holds significance given the turmoil in the neighbouring country Bangladesh and rising tensions along the border as the RSS looks to expand its presence in the state. Bengal is also due for the Assembly elections in March-April 2026.
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here.
