Avoiding public rallies and media visibility, Bhagwat’s engagements with local leaders, civil society groups, and RSS units suggest a strategy focused on quiet diplomacy, confidence-building, and assessing ground realities in a still-volatile state.
BY PC Bureau
November 20, 2025 — RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat arrived in Imphal on Thursday morning, beginning a three-day visit that marks his first return to Manipur since the ethnic violence of May 3, 2023. Landing amid a tight security grid, Bhagwat’s trip is being framed by Sangh insiders as a “quiet mission” focused on healing, listening, and rebuilding fractured trust in a state still burdened by two years of turmoil.
Unlike previous high-profile political visits to Manipur—which often brought slogans, rallies, and photo opportunities—Bhagwat’s itinerary is designed as a low-key bridge-building exercise. The visit coincides with the RSS’s centenary year, and its leadership sees Manipur as a crucial moral test for its ongoing narrative of national unity.
A Centenary Visit with Strategic Intent
Bhagwat’s Manipur tour forms part of a wider nationwide outreach marking the 100 years since the RSS was founded by K.B. Hedgewar in 1925. The centenary has seen an emphasis on ideological introspection, youth engagement, cultural revival, and reaffirming the Sangh’s claim as a social organisation above politics.
Before arriving in Manipur, Bhagwat spent several days in Assam holding dialogues with intellectuals and young professionals. There, he reiterated his long-held clarifications on Hindutva: that anyone who embraces the civilisational ethos of India—“Muslim, Christian, or otherwise”—is culturally Hindu in spirit.
In Manipur, this centenary spirit is being channelled into a more delicate exercise. Senior RSS functionaries describe this leg of the tour as a “brainstorming retreat” aimed at strengthening local shakhas, rebuilding organisational networks weakened by conflict, and tailoring cultural programmes to the Northeast’s ethnic diversity.
Sources said a deliberate decision has been made to avoid mass gatherings or public processions. “This visit is about listening, not lecturing,” an RSS pracharak said, underscoring the sensitivity of a region still under President’s Rule since former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh stepped down in February 2025.
Bhagwat received a warm but subdued welcome at Bhaskar Prabha, the RSS headquarters in Imphal. Social media videos showed him offering folded hands in pranam, dressed in his familiar white kurta-pajama, as security checkpoints lined the route—a reminder of the still-fraught ground condition.
Param Pujaneeya Sarsanghchalak, Dr. Mohan Bhagwat ji arrived in Imphal today on a three-day visit. He was warmly welcomed by the senior functionaries of RSS Manipur Prant at Bhaskar Prabha, Imphal on his arrival at Bhaskara Prabha.#RSS100Years #RSS pic.twitter.com/r0eE1hnT61
— Vishwa Samvad Kendra Manipur (@VSK_Manipur) November 20, 2025
Day One: Engaging Entrepreneurs and the Civic Fabric
Bhagwat began his engagements in Konjeng Leikai, a vibrant Imphal neighbourhood known for its small businesses. In a modest community hall, he met a select group of entrepreneurs, civic figures, and local professionals.
The discussion centred on the economic devastation caused by the 2023 violence—burnt warehouses, disrupted supply chains, shuttered markets, and the migration of skilled workers to metros. One textile trader spoke of losing his entire stock to arson; a young tech entrepreneur described a talent drain toward Bengaluru and Delhi.
Bhagwat urged them to anchor recovery in swadeshi principles and to treat resilience as a shared cultural virtue. He cited Manipuri folklore on unity and resistance, reassuring participants that the RSS would support skill-development camps to revive traditional sectors such as bamboo crafts and sericulture.
His first day closed with internal review sessions with RSS workers, assessing the rebound of shakhas after a 30% dip during peak violence. Hybrid and virtual formats have helped numbers return close to pre-crisis levels.
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Day Two: Dialogues Across Ethnic Fault Lines
The emotional centre of the visit lies in Friday’s scheduled meetings with tribal leaders from Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, and Tengnoupal—districts heavily affected by the clashes between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo communities. The venue, close to Imphal but neutral in setting, is meant to lower political temperature.
The ethnic unrest—sparked by Meitei demands for Scheduled Tribe status—exposed profound structural divides. Meiteis dominate the valley; Kuki-Zo and Naga communities inhabit the hills. More than 260 people were killed, thousands displaced, and over 60,000 still remain in relief camps. The assembly remains suspended.
Participants in Friday’s dialogue include elders from Kuki Inpi, the Zomi Council, and Meitei representatives to maintain balance. Issues on the agenda include land rights, reservation frameworks, and the psychological and social costs of prolonged displacement.
Youth leaders from groups such as ATSUM will join parallel sessions on radicalisation, with Bhagwat urging cultural festivals, sports, and community initiatives as alternatives to anger and alienation.
Civil society dialogues—including women’s organisations, human-rights activists, and environmental groups—are expected to bring attention to gender-sensitive rehabilitation and the ecological vulnerability of sites like the Loktak Lake.
The Broader Impulse: Healing a Wounded Northeast
Bhagwat’s visit carries weight beyond optics. The RSS has steadily expanded its footprint in the Northeast since the 1970s, and the centenary year gives organisational tasks added momentum. Over 5,000 shakhas operate in the region today, and in Manipur, the Sangh has been active in distributing relief—food, medicines, and trauma counselling—since the unrest began in 2023.
But the visit also intersects with political recalibration. The BJP, the RSS’s ideological sibling, continues to struggle to regain administrative grip after Biren Singh’s resignation. Analysts say Bhagwat’s assessment could influence the Centre’s strategy in rehabilitating political stability.
Observers identify several strategic objectives: re-energising cadres, signalling inclusivity to tribal communities, countering perceptions of Meitei-centric bias, aligning with central development schemes such as the ₹500-crore relief package, and promoting a cultural unity narrative in which regional identities coexist within a broader Indian civilisational framework.
Not all reactions are positive. Some Kuki-Zo rights groups have voiced caution, concerned about the Sangh’s perceived closeness to Meitei-aligned groups. “Closed-door meetings cannot replace transparent community dialogue,” one activist wrote on social media.
Concrete outcomes will only emerge once the visit concludes, but early discussions suggest possible steps such as joint “unity pacts” mediated by the RSS, youth exchange programmes between the valley and hills, and fast-tracking the expansion of shakhas in conflict-affected districts.
Insights from the tribal dialogues could inform the Centre’s roadmap on restoring the Manipur Assembly at the earliest. Economic recovery efforts may get a boost through RSS-backed proposals like “Manipur Melas” across major cities to promote indigenous crafts and handlooms, dovetailing with Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar’s recent development push.
