BHOPAL: After Samrasta Snan (harmony bath), the Sangh Parivar has planned a gala Hindu convention (Sammelan) in Betul to propagate the message of social harmony and equality among common mass. The convention will be held in February 2018. The move comes at a time when RSS is organising a series of functions to draw dalits and tribals to its fold.
It was planned during Simhastha that the saffron party along with its frontal organisations will hold Samrasta (social harmony) campaigns across the country, beginning from Madhya Pradesh. “We have selected tribal districts in the state where inequality, caste-discrimination and crimes against backward people are reported throughout the year. Sangh Parivar aims at involving the dalits and tribals with common mass with a message of equality, which could generate a strong support for the saffron party,” said a senior RSS functionary.
A recent meeting of various caste groups, religious organisations and social workers informed that a large population of dalit and tribals inhibiting Betul and nearby district will participate in the convention. “The Hindu Sammelan is being organized to give a clear message to the society that social harmony and equality are keys to peace. We are expecting more than one lakh people from all the caste groups and Hindu sects in the gala Hindu Sammelan,” RSS Prant Karyawah (Central India), Hemant Muktibodh told TOI.
The RSS functionary, however, denied that the convention will be on the lines of ‘harmony bath’ organized during Simhastha. “We are involving all sections of society and not a selected few to propagate the message of harmony and equality. Representatives of these sections have extended full support to the convention,” he claimed. RSS is running a nationwide campaign this year to promote what it calls ‘social harmony’ among Hindus, apparently with an eye to win over dalits and tribals, which are key to BJP’s hopes of wresting power in Uttar Pradesh, which is going to polls next year.
“The programme will be a combination of social values, healthy thoughts and self-enlightenment,” said Muktibodh, adding talks of water conservation and afforestation will also take centrestage during the event. After Betul, Sangh Parivar has plans to organize similar conventions in tribal-dominated districts of Shahdol, Umaria, Mandla and Umaria where a large number of tribal population is still cut off from the common mass.