The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is set to launch one of its largest-ever grassroots mobilisation exercises, targeting the Hindu community at the most local level possible. Following a successful door-to-door contact programme during its centenary celebrations, the organisation is now preparing for a mega outreach campaign that will see the organisation of Hindu conventions, or 'sammelans', in hundreds of thousands of small population units across the country.
Blueprint for a Massive Hyper-Local Campaign
The formal blueprint for this ambitious campaign was drawn up by the RSS central working committee. The campaign is proposed to be initiated later this month, with activities expected to roll out from mid-January. The Sangh has decided to hold these Hindu sammelans at the level of a 'basti', a demographic unit comprising a population of roughly 2,000 people in both urban and rural areas.
This micro-level approach means the RSS aims to organise more than 5 lakh (500,000) Hindu conventions across India. If achieved, this would represent one of the most extensive grassroots mobilisation efforts undertaken by any organisation in recent memory. The RSS will coordinate this campaign with its religious arm, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), which has historically spearheaded efforts to consolidate the Hindu community.
Addressing Local Grievances and Broader Themes
According to sources, the campaign will focus on addressing challenges faced by the Hindu community at the local level. VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal confirmed that the agenda will include community cohesion, security concerns, religious practices, and specific local grievances.
Bansal stated that the Sangh's recent centenary campaign successfully highlighted its work over the last 100 years. "We now plan to take this to villages and even smaller units," he said. While tackling local issues, the sammelans will also incorporate broader national and religious themes. Sources indicate that recent attacks on Hindus in strife-torn Bangladesh may be referenced, potentially using the theme of Hindu vulnerability as an emotive tool to foster a shared sense of identity and unity within the community.
Strategic Shift and Political Implications
Analysts see this proposed hyper-local outreach as a significant scaling up of the RSS's mass mobilisation strategy, both in ambition and organisational depth. The move from door-to-door contact to organising structured sammelans at the Basti level reflects a deliberate shift towards micro-level social engineering. This approach allows ideological messaging to be intertwined with everyday local concerns, potentially making it more resonant.
While the centenary celebrations focused on legacy, this new campaign aims to convert public goodwill into structured community mobilisation. Although the RSS is officially a non-political organisation, such a vast mobilisation effort is seen to have clear electoral consequences. This is especially pertinent in states like Uttar Pradesh, where panchayat elections are due later this year, followed by the crucial state assembly elections in 2027.
Analysts conclude that this hyper-local strategy marks a new phase in the Sangh's outreach, aiming to embed its presence and narrative deep within the social fabric of Indian neighbourhoods.
