Over the last six years, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has witnessed a notable increase in the number of it’s shakhas (branches) around the country. The BJP’s ideological mentor has grown from 45,000 units in 2010 to over 57,000 till mid-2016. The RSS claim that this trend is reflective of the people’s ‘growing acceptance’ of the Sangh parivar and its ideology.