Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday, May 22, 2026, expressed deep grief over the passing of Rukmini Akkaji, former All-India Sah Karyavahika (joint general secretary) of the Rashtra Sevika Samiti, saying her decades of service to nationalism and women's empowerment were invaluable.

Context

Posting in Hindi on X, Fadnavis wrote: 'राष्ट्र सेविका समिति की पूर्व अखिल भारतीय सह कार्यवाहिका माननीय रुक्मिणी अक्काजी इनके निधन का समाचार सुनकर बहुत दुख हुआ' ('I was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of the respected Rukmini Akkaji, former All-India Sah Karyavahika of the Rashtra Sevika Samiti'). He noted that over several decades she contributed to the Samiti's mission of nationalism and women's empowerment, and that her organisational role was extremely significant. Fadnavis offered his heartfelt tribute and prayed to God to give strength to all the grieving sevikas (members) to bear this loss, closing with 'ॐ शांति' (Om Shanti — a traditional Hindu invocation of peace for the departed).

Policy Backdrop

The Rashtra Sevika Samiti was founded in 1936 by Laxmibai Kelkar in Wardha, Maharashtra, to extend the RSS shakha model to women, emphasising Hindu nationalist values, physical training, and leadership. Over nearly nine decades it has grown into one of India's largest women's nationalist organisations, with a presence across states. Rukmini Akkaji served as All-India Sah Karyavahika, one of the senior-most organisational positions in the Samiti's national structure, and was credited with sustained work in mobilising women around its core themes.

Fadnavis has longstanding personal and ideological ties to the RSS family of organisations, and public condolences by BJP leaders to Rashtra Sevika Samiti functionaries are a recurring pattern that reaffirms the ideological and personnel overlap between the party and the broader Sangh Parivar.

Stakeholders and Impact

The tribute will resonate deeply within the Sangh Parivar network, particularly among the Samiti's lakhs of active members and former workers across Maharashtra and other states. For the BJP's base, the Chief Minister's personal message underscores the party's continued reverence for senior Sangh functionaries who worked outside electoral politics but shaped the ideological ground. The statement also keeps women's empowerment — a theme central to both the Samiti's identity and the current government's public messaging — at the fore of the tribute.

What's Next

Condolence messages from other Maharashtra BJP leaders and RSS functionaries are expected in the coming hours. The Rashtra Sevika Samiti may announce memorial programmes or a shok sabha (condolence meeting) in Nagpur — the city that has historically served as the organisational heartland of the Sangh Parivar — or in other cities where the Samiti has a strong presence. Rukmini Akkaji's passing marks the loss of a senior figure whose organisational contributions spanned multiple decades of the Samiti's growth.