BHOPAL: Aslam Sher Khan, the incisive stick wielder who played a pivotal role in India's title triumph at 1975 Hockey World Cup in Kuala Lumpur now plans to build an RSS like force of volunteers to revive the sagging fortunes of his party, the Congress in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
The two-time Lok Sabha member and former union minister announced in the MP capital on Wednesday that he would build a force of volunteers under the umbrella 'Rashtriya Congress Swayamsevak Sangh' (RCSS) on the lines of ruling BJP's parent body RSS.
"I target to build an army of volunteers committed to the Congress ideology in MP and Chhattisgarh by 2018 Assembly polls," said Khan.
The 63-year-old former Olympian who quit the Congress in 1997 to join the BJP, only to return in the Congress fold again in 1999, recounted how he scored the equaliser against Malaysia in the semi-final of the 1975 Hockey World Cup, paving the team's passage to the finals."
"Five minutes before the semi-final match ended I was sent on the field in the Merdeka Stadium and I promptly scored the equaliser. I feel the Congress is in similar situation like the Indian hockey team in 1975 cup final. The committed army RCSS will not only score the equaliser for the Congress but also help the grand old party of the country trounce the BJP in the coming polls in both states and elsewhere," maintained Khan.
"Already people inclined towards Congress ideology in three districts of both states, including Shahdol, Dindori and Bilaspur have welcomed my move and assured their support in building the army called RCSS, which will do the necessary spadework at all levels, just like the RSS covertly helped the BJP come to power at the centre in 2014 and in UP recently," he added.
The new outfit will "assist Congress, like RSS helps BJP covertly, to win Assembly elections next year," he said here.
The RCSS that wont have any uniform like the RSS is essential as the Congress is slowly getting deprived of committed grassroots workers. "Just like those supporting RSS ideology are pervasive allover, spanning from government jobs to engineers, doctors, teachers and workers, those who are not Congress members, but back the party's all inclusive ideology will be welcome as RCSS volunteers," added Khan.
The two time former MP from Betul Lok Sabha seat further said, N S Hardikar formed Seva Dal to contribute to the freedom struggle, and after the Independence it became "almost non-existent. But K B Hedgewar formed the RSS to turn India into a Hindu state, which hadn't materialised yet, he said.
The veteran hockey forward turned politician also alleged that the ruling BJP in the state would target at least 18 Congress MLAs in MP just before the 2018 assembly polls to jolt the morale of the party workers.