Neerja Chowdhury's column: Efforts are on the move to reach out to a wider section

The three-day meeting of the coordination committee of all RSS affiliates, including the BJP, has begun in Jodhpur. The aim is to strategise for the future and assess the emerging situation after Mohan Bhagwat's efforts to reach out to a wider audience. BJP president JP Nadda is also joining it. During a recent three-day lecture series held at Vigyan Bhawan to mark 100 years of the organisation, the Sangh tried to change its image and reach out to its critics. It also made it clear that the next phase of the Sangh would be a big outreach programme – so that more and more people would accept it. Three key takeaways emerged from Bhagwat's over 240-minute series of lectures. First, these lectures put an end to speculation about Bhagwat and Narendra Modi's activism in public life, which will soon turn 75. Bhagwat's words made it clear that Modi will lead the party in the 2029 elections as well. Bhagwat sought to clarify the relationship between the Sangh and the BJP, saying his job as RSS chief is to run shakhas and train volunteers, while the BJP's job is to run the country and he will give advice only when asked. He also said that if the election of the new BJP president was handed over to the RSS, it would have done it by now. But the truth is that the Sangh and the BJP cannot operate without each other and it cannot be imagined that a new BJP president will be elected without the Sangh's opinion – even though Nadda said last year that the BJP no longer needs the Sangh's help. The 2024 election results showed the impact of being behind the union at election time. Subsequently, the election results of Haryana, Maharashtra and Delhi also showed how big a victory the Sangh gets when its volunteers actively campaign for the BJP on the ground. Unlike previous sarsanghchalaks, Bhagwat is working with the BJP led by a powerful and popular prime minister. This has also brought some challenges. The second great feature of his lectures was that he tried to reach out to the Muslim community. "Muslims are part of India and our own. He also said that whether you say Hindu, Hindavi, Indianness or Sanatan, it is all the same thing. Bhagwat also said the Sangh will not take part in any Ayodhya-like agitation, though volunteers can do so if they want. Earlier too, Bhagwat had forbidden Hindus to find a Shivling under every mosque. In the last few years, Bhagwat has interacted several times with eminent people of the Muslim community to understand each other's position better. And hopefully, such talks will continue. The third big point of Bhagwat's lectures was about promoting the three-child rule. They gave the slogan 'Hum Do Hamara Teen'. Of course, this cannot be to increase the number of Hindus, because this rule will apply to Muslims as well. Today, when the population of many countries of the world is becoming elderly, the idea of a young population may seem appealing. But without ensuring good education, nutrition and health for all, demographic dividends will remain a distant dream. Then the three-child rule is also linked to women's right to choice. Yet Bhagwat did not attempt to reach out to women in the way many had felt. She was asked a series of questions about the greater role of women. He only said that women in the Sangh also work shoulder to shoulder with men and the Rashtra Sevika Sangh has been active since 1936. Women are not part of the branches. Today women are advancing in every field, they are no longer willing to just play supporting roles. Today, every political party is making efforts to woo women. They are probably the most ambitious group in the country today. If their potential is harnessed properly, they can become a transformative force. In a lecture series held at Vigyan Bhawan on the completion of 100 years of the Sangh, the Sangh tried to change the image and also reach out to the critics. It also made it clear that the next phase of the union would be a major outreach program. (This is the author's opinion)