According to an intelligence official in Siliguri, there has been talk of a possible meeting between Mohan Bhagwat and former King Gyanendra, but there has been no official confirmation of this.
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A regional level meeting of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is being held in Siliguri, the second largest city in West Bengal, on Thursday. Siliguri is considered geopolitically sensitive. This is the first time that the RSS is organizing a meeting in this sensitive 'Chicken Neck' region.
The RSS's top leader Mohan Bhagwat is participating in the North Bengal-focused meeting. According to sources related to the regional structure of the RSS, Bhagwat is scheduled to hold 'closed-door' discussions with the Sangh officials from various districts of North Bengal. The meeting will not be limited to strengthening the organization but will focus on an overall review of the political situation.
RSS Eastern Region Chief Jaladhar Mahato, while talking to the Indian media, has indicated that the meeting will also discuss the weakening situation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in North Bengal, border politics and issues related to Nepal.
Sources claim that the Sangh has made the agenda of increasing its organizational role the main topic of discussion in the coming days, concluding that the party leadership in North Bengal has not been effective.
According to BJP Siliguri District Secretary Arun Mandal, representatives under the age of 40 from seven districts of North Bengal are participating in the meeting. It is said that the effective role of the Sangh in the organization, campaigning and candidate selection will be discussed keeping in mind the upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly elections.
Meanwhile, as the RSS meeting is scheduled to be held in Siliguri during the time that former King Gyanendra Shah is on a visit to India, the issue of whether he will attend the meeting has come into the spotlight. According to sources, the former king is not scheduled to attend the formal RSS meeting. However, various speculations have started about his possible meeting with the RSS leadership.
According to an officer of the intelligence agency in Siliguri, although there has been talk of a possible meeting between Mohan Bhagwat and former King Gyanendra, there has been no formal confirmation of this.
Former King Gyanendra had reached Siliguri on Wednesday afternoon. He is staying at the five-star Hotel Courtyard by Marriott in the Mallagudi area with his wife Komal. It is estimated that if he meets Bhagwat, it could be at the same hotel or at some other place.
Preparation or coincidence?
According to sources close to RSS, former King Gyanendra's visit to India may not have been accidental but planned . Although the source claims that Gyanendra informed the RSS leadership about the visit a few weeks in advance, this has not been independently confirmed .
The former king has visited India in the past for personal, religious and health-related purposes . This time, the visit is a bit different . Because it is his first time to visit India on foot . 'His visit may not be a coincidence,' says an Indian intelligence official, 'It is meaningful for him to come during an RSS meeting.'
If the meeting takes place, analysts have speculated that the growing political instability in Nepal, the ideological debate regarding a Hindu state, the situation in the border region (Terai-North Bengal) and South Asian politics may be discussed . An Indian journalist says, 'Until such meetings are confirmed, it should be viewed as a possibility only.'
