New Delhi: A decade after setting up Muslim Rashtriya Manch, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is now considering to establish a Christian outfit to reach out to the community people.
According to a report published in Economic Times, top RSS leaders had recently held a meeting with Christian leaders as part of a plan to set up Rashtriya Isai Manch.
Confirming the news, a senior RSS Pracharak, who is also the ‘Margdarshak’ (guide) for the Muslim Rashtriya Manch since its inception, told ET that efforts are on to reach out to the Christians and a meeting to discuss the same was held on December 17 last year in New Delhi.
The meeting was presided over by senior RSS Indresh Kumar. Chinmayananda Swami of Vishva Hindu Parishad was also present in the meet. Indresh Kumar said that 4-5 Archbishops, 40-50 Reverend Bishops from across 10 to 12 states met and ‘it was decided to develop a movement’. “This is preparing the ground to lay the seeds for an organisation,” he said.
The report further mentioned that Rashtriya Isai Manch will be set up on the lines of Muslim Rashtriya Manch to help building bridges of ‘goodwill’ with the community.
The latest development holds significance as it came in the wake of a series of attacks on Christian-run institutions across the India after the BJP-led NDA government took over in May 2016.
Recently, Home Minister Rajnath Singh had met the community leaders at a Christmas dinner hosted by the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI), the apex decision-making body of the Catholic Church in India. He had promised to resolve all issues concerning the community and assured that the government will not let injustice happen to them.
Christians are minority in India. They represent just 2 per cent of India’s total population of 1.2 billion
