RSS Annual Meeting to Address Ram Temple Donation Controversy
The alleged theft of donations from the Ram Temple in Ayodhya is expected to dominate discussions at the RSS's three-day annual Akhil Bharatiya Prant Pracharak Baithak, which begins in Belagavi, Karnataka on July 10. Senior functionaries have indicated that the controversy has become the organisation's most pressing concern.
While the meeting was originally scheduled to focus on contemporary national issues, including the ongoing Census, Sangh sources stated that the Ram Temple controversy is likely to overshadow other agenda items due to its impact on the RSS's public image. The meeting may also discuss the role of some RSS functionaries involved with temple operations.
An RSS senior functionary said, 'While the Census and other contemporary issues will be discussed, the Ram Temple issue is on everyone's mind and will be discussed in great detail. It has cast a shadow on the entire Sangh Parivar. The issue is creating a negative image of the Sangh among people, and we need to arrest that slide.'
An RSS office-bearer from Uttar Pradesh remarked that this controversy is more damaging than the 'Hindutva terror' allegations during the UPA government, because it affects public perception more directly. 'People think the Ram Temple and the Sangh are the same. Even if no Sangh member is involved, this controversy will be hard to shake off,' he said.
The annual meeting, from July 10 to 12, is one of the RSS's most important organisational gatherings. It will be attended by prant pracharaks (province in-charges), sah prant pracharaks, kshetra pracharaks, and sah kshetra pracharaks from all 11 regions and 46 provinces, along with all-India organising secretaries of 32 Sangh-inspired organisations. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, and other top executives are scheduled to participate. Besides organisational expansion and training, participants will discuss 'current national circumstances', including the Census.
The meeting gains significance as the RSS issued its first formal statement on the controversy on Friday. Hosabale described the alleged theft as deeply hurting the sentiments of society and Ram devotees, and said the organisation was 'extremely pained and angered'. The statement noted that the Uttar Pradesh government had formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) at the request of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, and stressed that anyone found guilty should face severe punishment. It urged the Trust to treat the incident as an extraordinary matter, remove management shortcomings, and ensure devotees' faith remains intact. The RSS called for an end to confusion and uncertainty, and appealed for patience and restraint, asking that 'anti-Hindu' elements not be given an opportunity.
