Pranab Effect? RSS Sees Sharp Rise In Membership Applications Following Address; Maximum From West Bengal

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological mentor of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has seen a sharp rise in membership applications from across the country following former president Pranab Mukherjee's participation at its valedictory session earlier this month, reports the Times of India.

"The number of applications for joining RSS shot up to more than fourfold the day Mukherjee addressed the graduating swayamsevaks in Nagpur on 7 June," said the report.

The surge in applications is especially evident in the former president's home state of West Bengal. "From 1 to 6 June, on an average, we used to receive 378 requests everyday at the national level. On 7 June, the day Mukherjee addressed our Shiksha Varg, we received 1,779 requests. After 7 June, we have been receiving 1,200-1,300 requests every day," said senior RSS leader Biplab Roy, adding that 40 per cent of the requests were from Bengal.

However, he added that it would be wrong to interpret that because of Mukherjee the acceptability of RSS has increased. "RSS is popular among masses because of its activities in the society," he said.

Besides Mukherjee's charisma, growth of RSS organisational strength across the state is also the reason for the spike in enrolment numbers, he said.

Mukherjee was invited by the RSS to address its Shiksha Varg on 7 June and attend a parade by members on completion of the training camp.