Massive Protest Rally in Nagpur Targets RSS Over Convention Cancellation
An estimated 5,000 demonstrators took to the streets of Nagpur on Sunday in a significant protest rally organized by the Bharat Mukti Morcha (BMM) and the Backward and Minority Communities Employees Federation (BAMCEF). The rally centered on allegations that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was responsible for the denial of permission for BAMCEF's annual national convention in Odisha last year.
Protest Held at RSS Headquarters Location
BMM president Waman Meshram explained that Nagpur was chosen as the protest site specifically because it houses the RSS headquarters. The original plan was to march directly to the Sangh headquarters, Meshram stated. However, the organization was forced to alter its plans after police denied permission for that route.
Instead, the rally followed an approved police route from Indora Square to Samvidhan Chowk. Security was exceptionally tight, with approximately 2,000 police personnel deployed on the ground, including four Deputy Commissioners of Police and all Assistant Commissioner-rank officers.
Allegations of Deliberate Convention Cancellation
Addressing the media, Meshram made serious allegations against both the BJP and the RSS. He claimed these organizations were behind the last-minute cancellation of BAMCEF's planned convention in Odisha. We booked the ground and obtained police permission. We spent crores of rupees erecting the tent, Meshram detailed. The permission was cancelled at the final moment.
The organization subsequently moved the high court, but Meshram explained that the matter was adjourned to January, forcing the December-end convention to be scrapped entirely. He characterized the cancellation as deliberate and directly linked it to BAMCEF's advocacy for a caste-based census of Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
Fundamental Rights and Peaceful Protest
Meshram emphasized the constitutional basis for their demands. Under Article 19, it is my fundamental right, he asserted. He further noted that even when permission was denied previously, the organization conducted protests peacefully without legal violations, damage to national property, or public loss.
Explaining the strategic choice of Nagpur for the protest, Meshram clarified: The convention was national, not just Odisha's. The RSS headquarters is in Nagpur. If it was in Delhi, we would have held it there. He stressed that the march was organized in full compliance with police conditions, with careful attention to maintaining law and order throughout the event.
The protest highlights growing tensions around caste census demands and allegations of political interference in organizational activities, with Nagpur becoming a focal point due to its symbolic significance as the RSS headquarters location.
