RSS-Backed Platform To Globalise Bengali Hindus' Issues, London Summit Set For September

Last Updated:June 26, 2026, 14:05 IST

Global Bengali Hindu Platform, with its core members in India, UK and US, plans to also lend weight to Bangladeshi Hindus who are facing persecution

A Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-backed organisation has put together a platform with an intent to create a “global ecosystem" for Hindus with a special focus on Bengali Hindus. The platform’s intent is to internationalise the issues plaguing Bengali Hindus and it is all set to host its first international summit—Global Bengali Hindu Conference—this year in London on September 19.

As a precursor, an international platform has been floated, named Global Bengali Hindu Platform (GBHP), with their core members in India, United Kingdom, and the United States to begin with.

In the first year, the summit will have five topics of discussion—policy, economics, spirituality, women and youth and media. “For instance, in economics, we will be discussing the role of wealth creators and their contribution for Hindu causes. When I say wealth creators, I mean both affluent diaspora giving back to the community or businessmen stepping up. We have many Marwari and Gujrati businessmen working in West Bengal for generations who have already approached us with their intent to contribute," London-based Bikram Banerjee, UK Coordinator of GBHP, tells News18. Banerjee adds that for spirituality, the focus will be on revival of old shrines.

But, while the agenda is on what the organisation calls “Hindu causes", its focus remains Bengali Hindus. What’s interesting is that the organisation is not seeing West Bengal in isolation. On one hand, they intend to fast-track what they call “Hindu revivalism" in Bengal and on other, they plan to lend their weight to Bangladeshi Hindus who are facing persecution.

“We cannot think of speaking for Bengali Hindus, if we do not speak for Bangladeshi Hindus. Today, they are less than 7 per cent in Bangladesh. Demography is real. A nationalist government on this side of the border doesn’t mean we can rest. The work is cut out for us," says Banerjee.

Banerjee is also UK’s ruling Labour Party Councillor from Hampshire. He had also led a delegation to the British deputy prime minister and Secretary of Justice over the persecution faced by Bangladeshi Hindus. After this summit, he says, he and his colleagues will try to underscore the narrative that the Tarique Rahman government in Bangladesh has been trying to conceal since the election landslide.

Next year’s summit venue is likely to be Kolkata and the year following that could be somewhere in Australlia, says Banerjee.

Recently, the platform held an event in Kolkata that was attended by Bengal BJP leader Shishir Bajoria, who is associated with the BJP’s international department overseeing the United Kingdom, Europe and Bangladesh. The Kolkata event too was conducted with the full support of senior Sangh leadership in West Bengal. Eminent personalities like Bharat Sevashram Sangha’s Secretary (International Affairs) Swami Dibyananda Maharaj, Rastriya Sevika Samiti—RSS’ women’s wing—head Mahua Dhar, RSS affiliate Laghu Udyog Bharati Secretary Ramesh, former state organising secretary of BJP Subhroto Chatterjee and Eden Group’s Managing Director Ashok Modi were some of the names present. But if one thing was clear, it was the RSS imprint all over the new global initiative.

In between two summits, the organisation has plans of creating think tanks, bringing professionals together and encouraging research papers on issues that concerns the Bengali Hindu community.

INDO-BANGLA WARMTH FREEZES AGAIN?

India on Tuesday expressed hope that the government in Bangladesh would act against what it called extremist elements and ensure the safety of its minority community. “We have seen reports from Bangladesh regarding acts of desecration involving Hindu deities and their images, which have sparked protests. We expect the Bangladeshi government to curb the extremists there and guarantee the safety of the minority community," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters.

These kinds of suggestions were regular in the Md Yunus era when the India-Bangladesh relationship hit rock bottom. However, there was a thaw in the relationship with foreign minister S Jaishankar visiting Dhaka with PM Narendra Modi’s condolence letter for Rahman in December 2025, following the death of Khaleda Zia. Shortly after BNP’s victory, PM Modi personally called Tarique Rahman on February 13 and called it a “remarkable victory".

However, with no reciprocation from Dhaka and its flirting with Pakistan, Turkey and China continuing unabated, New Delhi seems to have finally run out of patience. The RSS-backed organisation going all out to internationalise the plight of Bangladeshi Hindus comes precisely at this time.

“There are some right thinking good human beings in Bangladesh. But that’s miniscule and ever decreasing. If Bangladesh continues its current trend (of radicalisation), if you ask me personally, the only way that will be left for the minorities living there will be to exercise their right to self-determination," Banerjee says.

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Anindya Banerjee

Anindya Banerjee, Associate Editor brings over fifteen years of journalistic courage to the forefront. With a keen focus on politics and policy, Anindya has garnered a wealth of experience, with deep ...Read More

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