Lucknow: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is preparing to step into its 100th year with a symbolic departure from tradition. For the first time, the organisation will launch its Vijayadashami programme not from its headquarters in Nagpur but from Ayodhya, the city now at the heart of the Hindutva narrative.
Preparations for the occasion are underway. At a closed-door meeting in Karsevakpuram, senior functionaries of the Sangh and its affiliated organisations chalked out the details. On Vijayadashami, thousands of swayamsevaks will take part in a grand path-sanchalan along Rampath, where RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale will deliver the keynote address.
For decades, the Sangh has observed its foundation day at Nagpur in a relatively low-key manner, with local volunteers and a symbolic presence of its top brass. By shifting the venue to Ayodhya, it is not just breaking a long-standing convention but also sending a message about where it sees the future ideological centre of gravity. The move ties in with its “Panch Parivartan” campaign, which seeks to project a more visible and expansive role for the Sangh during its centenary year.
This year’s Vijayadashami on October 2 is also steeped in national significance. It falls on the birth anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, figures who remain deeply etched in India’s political and social consciousness. Their legacies provide a larger backdrop to the Sangh’s centenary launch.
Adding to the importance of Ayodhya is the upcoming Ram Mandir religious flag-hoisting ceremony scheduled for November 25. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat will attend the event, arriving a day earlier to stay at Saket Nilayam, the Sangh Bhawan at Devkali. Renovation and repainting work has already begun at the premises to welcome him.
After Bhagwat’s participation was confirmed, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra member Dr Anil Mishra convened a closed-door meeting with senior RSS leaders in Ayodhya. While most officials have maintained silence, Saket Nilayam in-charge Krishna Chandra said that if the flag-hoisting takes place as planned, RSS functionaries from across the country are likely to gather in Ayodhya.
Political observers see these moves as part of a carefully crafted strategy. With the Ram temple nearing completion, Ayodhya has become both a spiritual and political symbol. By choosing it as the launchpad for its centenary, the RSS is underlining the centrality of the temple town in its broader vision and, by extension, in the BJP’s political messaging.
As the RSS begins its centenary year, Ayodhya will not just be the stage for religious ceremonies but also a backdrop against which the organisation seeks to project its ideological and political influence in the years ahead.
