GUWAHATI, July 30 - Undeterred by the recent controversy after NSUI activists protested against permission being granted for holding a training camp by RSS at Mariani College, the Sangh has said that it will continue to work among the people of Assam and it plans to set up at least 300 more shakhas in the State within the next one year.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) also claimed that many youngsters, including women, are using the social media platform to get close to the outfit and become associated with its activities.
�Leaders of Congress and other parties have tried to malign our image among the people of Assam by making false accusations that we give arms training to our cadres at our camps. The Sangh has never bothered to react to such baseless accusations. It only shows the sense of frustration as well as ignorance among people and organisations that have made such comments,� Shankar Das, Uttar Asom pranta prasar pramukh of RSS, told The Assam Tribune.
RSS�s Uttar Asom branch encompasses the entire Brahmaputra Valley, along with Meghalaya and Nagaland.
�It is only a year since the BJP came to power in Assam. Before that, Congress was at the helm at Dispur for 15 consecutive years. If RSS was really involved in giving arms training, why didn�t the Congress regime of that time take action?� Das pointed out.
Regarding the Sangh�s organisational plans for Assam, he said that the aim is to have at least 1,200 shakhas across Assam by July 2018.
�From 40 shakhas during the Assam Agitation, we have now 913 shakhas in Assam. This shows clearly that people here have accepted us. Our target is increase the number of shakhas to 1,200 by July next year,� Das said.
On an average, there are 15 cadres in each shakha. In Assam, the penetration of RSS shakhas has been more in the rural areas as compared to the urban areas.
RSS has also expanded its presence in the social media platform.
�We have an option of �Join RSS� in our website where interested persons can fill up a form and establish contact with us. On an average, around 50 youngsters, including women, contact us by medium of our website in Assam every month. Many of them are highly qualified, including professionals working in the IT sector,� Das said.
He said that RSS�s main effort is on nation building and imbibing cultural and social values among the masses, especially youths of India.
Das said the Sangh has taken up flood relief work at various places affected by the ongoing floods.
�We have also drawn up a plan for post-flood works to be undertaken at various places, including provision of sanitation facilities, providing safe drinking water and prevention of diseases or epidemics which come after the floodwater recedes,� Das said.
