However, last December, similar rallies were held in Tamil Nadu, at Erode, Salem and few other places. On Sunday, similar rallies were held in Chennai, Kancheepuram and Puducherry. An RSS official maintained that the organisation had relatively fewer problems during the DMK tenure as compared to the Jayalalithaa regime, which did not permit RSS activities.

Chennai: It is not that all Tamil Nadu dispensations were against RSS and its activities. Strange as it may sound, AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa, who enjoyed the image of a pro-Hindu and pro-BJP kind of an image, was in fact strongly against RSS activities and prevented the socio-cultural organisation from holding any of its meetings, even small ones.

Police would refuse permission and no amount of pleading helped. At least in the DMK regime, if the police denied permission, the RSS could approach their chief Karunanidhi or senior ministers and get permission to hold functions.

An RSS office-bearer in Chennai said that it was erroneously reported in a section of the media that no RSS rally was held in Tamil Nadu for 16 years and that it was held for the first time in many years in Chennai on Sunday. While it is true that an RSS rally indeed was held in Chennai on Sunday, after last October’s High Court order to the police to permit RSS rallies with some restrictions, the RSS could not hold it for one reason or the other.

In December, RSS rallies were held in many places in southern Tamil Nadu, the RSS official said, adding that on Sunday, rallies were held in Chennai, Puducherry and Kancheepuram. It is wrong to say that RSS had problems in carrying out its activities, but during the Jayalalithaa regime the organisation did face some issues, he said.

However, the RSS is satisfied that the current regime did not put too many roadblocks in the way and the Sunday rally was as impressive as it was peaceful.

The march started at Rajarathinam Stadium in Egmore and culminated at Chintadripet, a distance of some 1.5 km.

In Chennai alone, eight years ago, RSS rallies and meetings were held at Perambur, Ambattur and a few other places, the RSS official said.

Next on the agenda of the RSS is a 20-day training programme – to be held at Dharmapuri, Namakkal and Thanjavur, open to all its members who undertook a seven-day training programme. It is part of a nation-wide programme during the course of which the participants would be exposed to intellectual discussions, ideological lectures, trained in native breed cow protection and issues of family, culture and traditions so that the youth gets a proper grounding on what India and Indianess is, said the official.

This training is most likely to be held in the third week of April and second week of May.