Will RSS elevate Dattatreya Hosable to No 2 position?

New Delhi: In  was construed as a condemnation of statue vandalism that erupted across the country following the bringing down of Communist icon Vladimir Lenin’s statue in Tripura, the RSS on Friday denounced such incidents, saying “violence and damage to public properties in such incidences is highly condemnable”, though without specifying the incidents.

At the RSS’ crucial Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidi Sabha meet, which began in Nagpur from Friday, the Sangh asserted that there is a “growing trust” in its work across the country but at the same time “incidents of internal strife in the society are a matter of grave concern for all”.

The ruling BJP and its ideological mentor, the RSS, had come under severe attack ever since Lenin’s statues were demolished in Tripura, where the saffron party wrested power from the Communists.

The three-day long RSS meet, which is likely to see sarkaryavah (general secretary) Bhaiyya Joshi being succeeded by one of the joint general secretaries, will also see Sangh Parivar top brass and BJP leaders reviewing election related strategies as crucial elections are lined up.

Also Lok Sabha polls are barely a year away and there have been buzz that RSS supremo Mohan Bhagwat wants Mr Joshi to continue till then as he is the key person in the Sangh to hold parleys with the party top brass. However, speculation is rife that joint general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale could replace Mr Joshi, whose third term at the post is coming to an end.

BJP president Amit Shah is also expected to reach Nagpur Friday night.   

“All of us are experiencing that with the growing trust in our work, there are growing expectations also throughout the country...At the same time, the incidents of internal strife in the society are a matter of grave concern for all. Violence and damage to public property in such incidences is highly condemnable...,” reads the annual report by Mr Joshi. However, the report did not specifically mentions about the incidents.