RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to visit Jammu on October 1

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat will be in Jammu on October 1 to attend organisational meetings and address a select group of people, said a functionary aware of the details.

This is Bhagwat‘s first visit to Jammu and Kashmir since August 2019 when the state was bifurcated into two Union Territories; that of J&K, and Ladakh.

According to the functionary, the visit had been planned for long. “This is a routine visit which is part of the sarsanghchalak’s (Bhagwat) itinerary. Earlier, because of the Covid restrictions he could not travel but now he’s going to Jammu for three days to take part in meetings related to organisational issues of the Sangh. He will also address a meeting of eminent personalities, which again is a routine outreach programme,” the functionary said.

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In March, Bhagwat was scheduled to address the members of the Kashmiri Pandit community through an online interaction that was part of a programme organised to pay tributes to 15th century physician Shreya Bhat and King LalitAditya of the Karkota Dynasty. The programme was eventually addressed by the general secretary of the Sangh Dattatreya Hosabale since Bhagwat was taken ill.

The visit comes at a time when the Sangh has begun to gradually restart its Shakhas and in-person activities. It also comes ahead of next month’s Karyakarni Mandal meeting scheduled to take place in Karnataka’s Dharwad.

The meeting will be held between October 28-30.