**RSS Seeks to Downplay Rift with BJP, Emphasizes Family Matters Should Remain Private**
On Wednesday, September 25, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) addressed perceptions of a rift between the organisation and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), urging that internal matters be kept within the family.
Speaking at the India Today conclave, Sunil Ambekar, a senior RSS functionary and the organisation’s Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh, responded to questions regarding comments made by BJP president JP Nadda ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Nadda had remarked that the BJP had become self-sufficient and capable of running its own affairs, referring to the RSS as an “ideological front.”
Ambekar stated, “We solve family matters like family matters. We don’t discuss such issues on public platforms.” He sought to downplay the significance of any perceived differences between the RSS and the BJP, emphasizing the importance of discretion.
Highlighting the RSS’s broad appeal, Ambekar noted that people from all walks of life join the organisation. “Even if anyone joined the BJP for political gains, they begin doing good work because of their association with the RSS,” he added.
On questions regarding the role of women within the RSS, Ambekar explained that the Rashtra Sevika Samiti has been carrying out similar work to the RSS since the 1930s.
“As a structure on the ground, the RSS shakhas are only for boys. But the Rashtra Sevika Samiti, an all-women organisation affiliated with the RSS, has been doing the same work since the 1930s,” he said. Ambekar elaborated that the basic structure of the RSS is the “shakha,” which is designed for the “man-making process.”
He further stated that there currently is no demand from society for men and women to participate together in RSS activities. “‘Man-making and nation-building is RSS’ mission. Hence, shakhas have only males, while Rashtra Sevika Samiti has women as members,” he explained.
“When residents of a locality say that girls and boys can play together, we will make necessary changes in our structure. But society is not asking for it,” Ambekar added.
He concluded, “Society is not asking for girls and boys to play together. The current structure is a matter of convenience, and that is why there is such an arrangement of the Sangh having only boys as volunteers.”
https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/rss-on-nadda-remarks-family-matters-should-not-be-discussed-in-public