Did not change half-pants to full-pants just to attract youth: RSS reacts to criticism over change in uniform

Indore: The RSS on Tuesday sought to dispel suggestion that it has replaced its conventional uniform of khaki knickers with brown trousers in a bid to attract youths to its fold. [caption id=“attachment_2676914” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] FIle photo of RSS cadres in Nagpur. PTI[/caption] The decision to change its ‘ganvesh’ (uniform), in vogue for 91 years, was taken at annual meeting of RSS’ Akhil Bhartiya Pratinidhi Sabha, its highest decision-making body, at Nagaur in Rajasthan recently. “This is not correct to say that the Sangh went for the change in its dress primarily to attract youths who shy away from wearing shorts,” said Prakash Shastri, chief of RSS’ Malwa Prant, which comprises Indore and Ujjain divisions. He reasoned that youths would not go along with RSS for long if they failed to imbibe its ideology and merely a changed uniform could not do much. “Sangh works with devotion. If young people don’t embrace Sangh’s ideology, they won’t get along with RSS for long,” Shastri said responding to a query whether the move aimed at attracting youths. The RSS leader said khaki shorts made way for trousers following a long pondering on suggestions made to this effect by its cadre and the change is in sync with time. To another query, he said RSS is not in favour of whole privatisation of health and education sectors. “Rather, the government and society should join hands to make health and education affordable and easily accessible,” he added. Shastri said as many as 247 shakhas of RSS have come up in Indore and Ujjain divisions in the past one year, taking their total number to 2,607. Of them, 80 per cent are located in rural areas, he added. PTI