Ahead of northeast assembly polls, Mohan Bhagwat to address biggest-ever RSS rally in Assam

Guwahati: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat will on Sunday address a public gathering here in Assam. Nearly 50,000 swayamsevaks will be attending the 'biggest-ever' rally of the Hindutva group in the Northeast.

Designated as 'Luitporia Hindu Samavesh', the meeting will be held in the Veterinary College ground at Khanapara area in the city.

"Close to 50,000 Swayamsevaks will coverage in Guwahati on Sunday for the Samavesh. The meeting will be also attended by religious leaders and some tribal chieftains of the region," said RSS' Assam Prachar Pramukh Tirtha Shankar Das.

"We had a big gathering in 1994 when 4,000 Swayamsevaks had gathered in the Northeast," he said, adding that detailed arrangements had been made by the RSS workers for smooth conduct of the event.

The Sangh activists believe the event would help spread its message in the entire Northeast and unify various castes and communities residing in the region and is also significant in view of elections to three Northeast states next month.

"We have planned the Samavesh to bring the Swayamsevaks together. All our Swayamsevaks have been working silently in their respective areas. However, we are trying to bring them together as we want to further the degree of cohesion and discipline prevailing among them," Das said.

North-eastern states - Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland will go to polls in February while the vote-counting in all three states will take place in March.

In the event, more than 33,000 RSS members in uniform will perform yoga. According to the local RSS unit, over one lakh people are expected to attend the meeting.

The Assam unit of the RSS includes districts of Assam, the entire Nagaland and Meghalaya.

On Thursday, the Election Commission (EC) had announced the schedule for assembly polls.

Elections in Tripura will be held on February 18, followed by Nagaland and Meghalaya on February 27. The counting of votes has been scheduled to take place on March 3.

(With agency inputs)