RSS chief will meet Delhi volunteers on Feb 19 at new office

The meeting comes ahead of the annual meeting of its highest decision-making body, the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha, in Bengaluru from March 21-23

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat will address volunteers of the Sangh’s Delhi unit on February 19 at the newly inaugurated headquarters of the organisation at Jhandewalan in Delhi, according to people aware of the matter.

According to functionaries aware of the details, Bhagwat’s February 19 meeting in Delhi is expected to focus on organisational matters, particularly events planned for the RSS’s 100th year. (ANI)

The meeting comes ahead of the annual meeting of its highest decision-making body, the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha, in Bengaluru from March 21-23. The RSS, formed in 1925, is the ideological fount of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and will announce the plans for the centenary celebrations at the meeting in Bengaluru.

Though the RSS maintains it is not involved in electoral politics, its cadre played a key role in mobilising support for the BJP in recent elections, including its return to power in Delhi after 27 years, as well as victories in Maharashtra and Haryana.

According to functionaries aware of the details, Bhagwat’s February 19 meeting in Delhi is expected to focus on organisational matters, particularly events planned for the RSS’s 100th year. RSS functionaries have sought to distance the gathering from political developments, including ongoing campaigns by Hindu groups to reclaim religious sites. The Sangh has maintained a studied silence on petitions to reclaim the Ajmer Sharif Dargah and has stayed away from recent disputes in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal.

Following the Supreme Court’s 2019 ruling clearing the way for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the RSS announced it would not lead further temple reclamation campaigns, such as those concerning the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi or the Shahi Idgah in Mathura, leaving such matters to consensus among communities. Bhagwat had then remarked that the RSS’s role in Ayodhya was rooted in historical circumstances but that the organisation’s primary focus remains nation-building, not agitation.

RSS functionaries said the February 19 event is mainly to mark the near completion of the new headquarters. “Bhagwat ji will address karyakartas in Delhi since the new building has been inaugurated. The Bhoomi Pujan was done in 2016, and the Sangh functioned from Udaseen Ashram from 2018 to 2024. We began moving here in September 2024, and now the building is almost complete,” said a senior functionary.

Built at a cost of ₹150 crore, the RSS headquarters spans 500,000 square feet, featuring three 12-storey towers, 300 rooms, residential quarters, and large halls for meetings. Designed by Gujarat-based architect Anoop Dave and constructed by Auspicious Company, the building integrates traditional architectural elements with modern, energy-efficient systems.

Funding for the construction came entirely from individual donations, with around 75,000 people contributing amounts ranging from ₹5 to larger sums. “We did not take any money from the government or organisations,” the functionary emphasised.

The headquarters also includes a 140 kV solar power system, a sewage treatment plant, and a library that will be accessible to the public.