RSS leader predicts change in Bengal, outlines organisational revamp

Ahead of the forthcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) Prant Sanghchalak Hrishikesh Saha on Saturday said signs on the ground indicate the possibility of political change in the state.

Speaking to reporters, Mr Saha said: “From what is visible on the ground, it appears that there will be change. It feels that the government may change. This is my personal opinion based on what I observe.” He added that the Election Commission of India’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was a routine exercise. “This is not the first time such a process is being undertaken. It is also the responsibility of the government, and such exercises take place from time to time,” he said.

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Addressing a Press conference at Madhab Bhawan, he also announced that the RSS plans to undertake a major restructuring of its geographical organisational units after the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha scheduled to be held in Nagpur in March 2027. At present, the organisation has 44 prants (regional units), which will be expanded to over 85 across the country. In West Bengal, the existing three prants will be reorganised into five sambhags, with the current Uttarbanga prant to be renamed as Siliguri sambhag, covering eight districts of north Bengal and Sikkim.

Mr Saha said the primary purpose of the press conference was to highlight the deliberations of the three-day Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha held in Haryana from 13 to 15 March. He noted that the RSS paid homage to Sant Shiromani Guru Ravidas on his 650th birth anniversary, underscoring his message of social harmony and spiritual equality.

RSS Sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale, he said, described Guru Ravidas as a leading figure of the Bhakti movement who rejected discrimination based on birth and upheld conduct as the true measure of human worth. His teachings, preserved in the Guru Granth Sahib, promoted unity across caste and social divisions and influenced figures such as Mirabai. In today’s context, Mr Hosabale emphasised, the saint’s life offers a guiding vision for national unity, social cohesion, and spiritual awakening at a time when divisive forces seek to fragment society along caste and class lines.