Mohan Bhagwat, other leaders to camp in Somnath for six days for RSS meet

An official release from the Gujarat unit of the RSS said that Bhagwat, the RSS sarsanghchalak or chief will also attend family union of local RSS swayamsevaks during his stay in Somnath.

Thakar said that the three-day Akhil Bharatiya Prant Prachark (all India Prant Pracharak) meeting of RSS will begin from Sunday. “The meeting will be presided over by sarsanghchalak will be attended by Joshi, members of kendriya karyakarini (central executive), khetra pracharaks (regional pracharaks), prant pracharaks (state pracharaks) and sah-prantpracharaks and secretaries of various organisations of the RSS. The agenda of the meeting is to discuss the work done by the RSS in various parts of the country and the future course of action. The discussion at these meetings will focus completely on the RSS as an organisation,” Thakar added.

For its administrative purposes, the RSS has divided the country into 12 kshetras (regions), which, in turn are sub-divided into 39 prants or states. Gujarat is one of the prants, which is presently headed by Chintan Upadhyay as pracharak. Mahesh Jivani is sah-prachark. “In all, around 200 delegates will attend the meeting. Upadhyay and Jivani will represent Gujarat prant,” added Thakar.

Pracharaks are senior RSS leader who act as observers of the executive wing of the organisation. They dedicate their full time to the organisation while other office-bearers work as part-time and are also engaged in other businesses.

The SST is headed by former Gujarat chief minister Keshubhai Patel and has Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah, among others, as its trustees. Modi had attended the temple trust meeting in Somnath in February last year. Thakar said that the prant pracharak meeting was first in Gujarat in recent years.

Sources said that given their RSS background, senior BJP leaders Ram Lal and V Satish are also likely to attend the meeting. “BJP leaders are not invited to the meeting. But we take in part of the event in terms of making arrangements for the meeting etc. However, BJP leaders can meet the RSS leaders informally during their stay in Somnath,” said Zaverilal Thakra, president of Gir Somnath unit of the BJP.