Dattatreya Hosabale is RSS’s New General Secretary

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Dattatreya Hosabale is the new Sarkaryawah (general secretary) of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. This has been a long wait for Hosabale, but finally he has replaced Suresh ‘Bhayyaji’ Joshi. Joshi assumed the role for the fourth time in 2018. Now Hosabale (65), who is younger to Joshi, (73) will take charge ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections and RSS centenary celebrations in 2025.

The decision was taken after an internal election in RSS’s Akhil Bharatiya Prathinidhi Sabha, which is an annual meeting of the top functionaries of the RSS. It was held in Bengaluru on March 19 and 20, and not in Nagpur because of the pandemic.

Hosabale was active during the Emergency from 1975 to 1977, and was arrested under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA). He also served as the general secretary for the student organisation ABVP.

He comes from Sorab in Shimoga district in Karnataka. He is a staunch supporter of the government’s key policies like NRC, NEP and vocal about conversions to other religions.

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RSS Pratinidhi Sabha starts today, speculation rife about Bhayyaji Joshi being replaced as Sarkaryawah

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As the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) begins its two-day Pratinidhi Sabha meeting at Bangaluru in Karnataka on Friday, the most important outcome to watch would be if the organisation takes the long-awaited decision to usher in a new Sarkaryawah (general secretary).

The sabha is held every year, but the new team is elected after every three years. The Bengaluru meet is the triennial sabha which will elect the new team.

Pratinidhi Sabha is a meeting of top RSS office-bearers from all over the country, along with several other delegates and heads of all Sangh Parivar organisations. This time, a gathering of 450 participants is expected at Bengaluru while many are expected to join online from different parts of the country, adding up to a congregation of about 1,400 people.

The sabha will choose its new team on March 20.

Speculation about the current Sarkaryawah, Suresh ‘Bhayyaji’ Joshi, being replaced by one of his six deputies, Dattatreya Hosbale, has been rife for the past six years. The speculation was most intense in the 2015 Pratinidhi Sabha meeting at Nagpur.

But this time, the triennial Pratinidhi Sabha, which is being held for the first time outside Nagpur due to Covid restrictions, might take the call in favour of change. Hosbale is now 65 and change, if at all, seems more logical at this stage since it would give him at least 10 years to stay at the helm. Moreover, Joshi is now 73 and, although in fine health after knee surgeries, will turn 76 when the next triennial Pratinidhi Sabha takes place to elect the new team.

“Considering the two important events, 2024 general elections and 2025 RSS centenary, a new and younger Sarkaryawah will be required to shoulder the responsibility of organising several programmes in the run-up to the two events. After the RSS spat with Vajpayee-Advani duo during the NDA regime of 1999-2004, where then RSS chief K S Sudarshan had openly called for the two leaders to step down and allow young blood to take over, the RSS, too, had taken a conscious decision to lead by example. Sudarshan had then paved the way for young Mohan Bhagwat to replace him. So, it is expected of the RSS that it would bring about the change of Sarkaryawah now instead of later,” said Dilip Deodhar, a RSS swayamsevak, known for his interpretive writings about RSS and its internal dynamics.

Deodhar added, “Hosbale is currently 65 and will get at least 10 years to serve as Sarkaryawah… his name has been in the reckoning for the position for some time now. He has had his grooming in the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), has served as its organising secretary and has a vast experience as an organiser, which is a very important quality needed for a post like Sarkaryawah, who is the functional head of the organisation supervising its day-to-day activities.”

He said, “Moreover, the RSS also needs to groom someone for the position with a sufficient period at his disposal to carry out the responsibility.”

But a senior functionary of one of the RSS fronts said, “While the possibility of a change cannot be ruled out, I see no reason why the current fine balance among the RSS, BJP and government will be subjected to any change. Bhayyaji is currently coordinating among the three and everything is going on smoothly. Moreover, he is 73 and can go on for at least another three years…”.

Another senior RSS worker also discounted the possibility of Joshi’s replacement. “No such indications have come from anywhere and there doesn’t seem any provocation for it (change) at the this stage,” he said.

Deodhar, however, said, “Joshi’s replacement does not mean demotion. In fact, in the run-up to the two events in 2024 and 2025, it would be too cumbersome for him to continue shouldering the twin responsibilities of coordinating among Parivar organisations and fucntioning as Sarkaryawah. So, indications are that he would remain at Delhi and would be doing full-time coordination work while Hosbale will take up the responsibility of the twin events.”

According to sources, a section of the RSS doesn’t favour the choice of Hosbale, known for his proximity to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, for the all-important RSS post. It feels that any such move could be seen as BJP having its say in RSS affairs.

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In West Bengal’s Jhargram, RSS is Reaching People Where TMC is Unable to

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The dimly lit classroom with wooden benches near the Jhargram Raj College looks like that of any other school. But these are special schools. They are the Shishu Shiksha Kendras, pre-primary informal schools run by the RSS. The teachers in these schools don’t necessarily teach from books, there are games and the children are relaxed.

These schools have had a deep impact in the tribal green belt of Bengal. Just as the Left hold on this area waned and Mamata Bannerjee government pushed several development works in this area, once the hub of Naxal activities, the RSS saw an opportunity. Simmering discontent over land, the need for modern farming techniques and people’s ambition to get good jobs — these were perfect ingredients for the entry of the RSS. Several Hari Sabhas or religious clubs were set up. Student hostels, Ekal Vidyalayas or coaching centres began to crop up.

Wearing gamchhaas over their shoulders, many locals began advising farmers on how to use traditional methods to increase crop output and even cultivate abandoned infertile land. They were the RSS swayamsevaks. And slowly the BJP began to make inroads. It bore fruit when in the 2018 Panchayat polls where the TMC received a jolt. Of the 20 seats in the Balarampur Panchayat Samiti, the BJP won 18. It also swept 7 gram panchayat and two zilla parishad seats in Balarampur that falls in the Jhargram assembly segment.

RSS swayamsevaks began work in the area since 2014, in the spheres of health, education and moral ‘upliftment’ of people.

Water is one of the basic problems in this area. Eighty-two-year-old Lulu Mahato has just had a cataract operation and can barely see. But what he can certainly see is the lack of basic facilities like water and sanitation. “Look at this gutter, it’s so dirty. We don’t get water. Some people come and give it to us, they are the RSS people we know. But suddenly a few days back this tap was set up. We know elections are here.”

Sudhir Gorai, who has come to check on his friend Lulu, agrees. “Yes the TMC government has done a lot of work here. We have seen development. But I see how my family suffers for want of water.”

The RSS and BJP have scored in beginning small. The swayamsevaks saw that providing basic facilities like tube wells and drains would help them reach out to the people of Jhargram. As development came into this area, ambitions rose. The youth want jobs, and the many coaching and training centres have given hope that the technical skill acquired would help them get jobs in big cities like Kolkata.

The TMC came in for another rude shock when in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls when the BJP won the seat. Kunar Hembram is the Jhargram MP. It is believed that the anti-TMC, Congress and Left votes went to the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections and helped the BJP win. Having tasted success, the BJP wants to repeat it in the assembly seats as well. This is why top leaders like Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah and JP Nadda have been campaigning here. But the TMC has now woken up. Mamata Bannerjee, in an obvious reach out to her pet Jangalmahal area, in which Jhargram falls, has promised water supply, free ration at people’s doorsteps and technical education.

Hovering around Sudhir Gorai are a handful of boys in their twenties. They said, “Those who give us jobs we will go for them. That’s all what matters to us. We don’t want to farm, we want to move out of Jhargram.”

The statues of tribal leaders like Sidhu Kanu, who are worshipped as gods in this belt, have been witness to many changes in this area. From being a Naxal stronghold, patronised by the Left to several incident of violence. It has seen development too, when Mamata Bannerjee nurtured this area. The Jhargram Rajbari, or palace, has been transformed into a popular heritage hotel and is a popular tourist destination. But Sidhu Kanu is also seeing some dissatisfaction creeping in. With development comes desire. There are complaints that local TMC leaders don’t let the benefits percolate down. The RSS uses its conventional door to door meetings to reach out, where the state government is unable to. And BJP is hopeful. Maybe Sidhu Kanu will see another change here.

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India Has One DNA and it is Hindu, Secular People Have Made Hindutva Identity Communal: RSS

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Senior RSS leader Dattatreya Hosabale on Friday said there is only one “DNA in Bharat” and that is “Hindu”. “In the Sangh, Hindu is a “rashtravachak” word. There is one DNA in Bharat and the name of that DNA is Hindu. Hindutva has an identity and those terming themselves secular have propagated it as communal, despite the fact that it is a diverse idea,” he said, adding that whatever the RSS says on Hindutva should be “understood”.

Hosabale was speaking after releasing a book on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), written by the outfit’s senior “pracharak” and “all-India sah prachar pramukh” Sunil Ambekar, in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The book, titled “Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh – Swarnim Bharat ke Disha Sootra”, was released by Hosabale at the Indira Gandhi Pratisthan.

“A hundred years ago, the word Hindu was interpreted in a larger context. Those who did not understand the country’s long-stranding traditions made it communal,” he said. “Some say, we are not Hindu but Indians. Some, due to political reasons, avoid it. That is their view but names are important. You cannot have a picture of Madonna and put someone else’s name,” the RSS leader said.

Changing the name of Allahabad to Prayagraj reflects the history of the city, he said. “Some people say if Bharat becomes a Hindu rashtra, what will happen? These people do not understand the words ‘Hindu’ and ‘rashtra’. If you call Ayodhya Honolulu, it will not be fair,” Hosabale said.

On the occasion, Adityanath said if one wants to understand the RSS, its aspect of service would have to be understood. “In any calamity or disaster, RSS volunteers move ahead with the mission of service,” he said.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Uttar Pradesh witnessed the movement of over one crore migrant workers — 40 lakh came back to the state and 60 lakh returned to other states — the chief minister said. “RSS workers served them irrespective of their caste, creed, religion, langauge or anything,” he added.

To a question on the criticism of the RSS, Adityanath said, “When there is no one speaking against you, it means you are not doing good. The RSS, when appreciated, never takes pride. And it never shows anger when criticised.” Earlier, Hosabale said the book could be a “disha sutra” (guiding principle)” for knowing the RSS, but for understanding it, one would have to come into its fold. Ambekar had earlier written a book titled “The RSS Roadmaps for the 21st Century”, which was released by the Sangh chief in 2019. The latest book is the Hindi version of that.



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