(MENAFN- Live Mint) Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat is scheduled to arrive in Manipur on 20 November for the first time since ethnic violence broke out two years ago, a functionary of the organisation said on Wednesday.

During his three-day stay, Bhagwat will interact with citizens, entrepreneurs, and representatives of the tribal community, RSS state general secretary Tarunkumar Sharma told news agency PTI.

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"Our Sarsanghchalak's visit to the state is in connection with the centenary celebrations of the RSS. He is arriving from Guwahati on November 20 and will leave on November 22," he said.

The visit is related to the centenary celebrations of the organisation. Bhagwat is currently on a three-day visit to Assam to attend similar events to commemorate 100 years of the RSS.

First trip since violence broke in Manipur

This will be Bhagwat's first visit since the violence broke out two years ago, another RSS functionary said, adding that he had last visited the state in 2022.

The RSS, which calls itself a cultural organisation, is the ideological fountainhead of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

As part of his itinerary, separate interactive sessions will be held with prominent citizens, Janajati (tribal) community representatives, and youth leaders, Sharma said.

"On the day of his arrival, he will be meeting with entrepreneurs and eminent individuals at a programme at Konjeng Leikai in Imphal. On November 21, Bhagwat will meet and interact with tribal leaders from the Manipur hills," he said.

Asked if the RSS chief will be visiting relief camps, where internally displaced people have been staying for the last two years, he said, "This is not in the schedule as of now. The visit is mostly an internal part of the organisation."

More than 260 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo groups since May 2023.

The Centre had imposed the President's rule in Manipur after Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned.

The state assembly, which has a tenure till 2027, has been put under suspended animation.

Also Read | RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat says Muslims can come to Sangh, but with a condition

On Tuesday in Guwahati, Bhagwat said anyone who takes "pride in Bharat" is a Hindu. Bhagwat, during an interaction with people in Assam's capital city claimed that 'Hindu' is not merely a religious term but a civilisational identity rooted in thousands of years of cultural continuity.

Bharat and Hindu are synonymous. India does not need an official declaration to be a 'Hindu rashtra'.

"Bharat and Hindu are synonymous. India does not need an official declaration to be a 'Hindu rashtra '. Its civilisational ethos already reflects it," said Bhagwat, the head of RSS, the fountainhead of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

(With Agency Inputs)

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