New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to meet Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Chief Mohan Bhagwat in Nagpur on Sunday. This will be their first public appearance together since the consecration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, on January 22 of the previous year, and their first joint event at the RSS headquarters.
During his visit, PM Modi will also pay tribute to Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, the founder of the RSS, at the Smruti Mandir in Reshimbagh, in honor of his birth anniversary. This marks the first visit by a sitting Prime Minister to the Sangh headquarters in Nagpur, where Modi will lay the foundation stone for an extension building of the hospital there.
The meeting follows speculation about potential tensions between the Sangh and the BJP leadership. Political observers note the significance of the timing, location, and purpose of PM Modi’s visit, particularly as the BJP prepares to elect a new national president, expected in the first week of April. The party is set to hold its national council meeting in Bengaluru on April 18 to approve the new president’s election, a process in which the RSS traditionally has considerable influence.
Taking place in Nagpur, the birthplace of the RSS and in honor of Madhavrao Sadashivrao Golwalkar, a revered figure among Sangh supporters, adds to the importance of the meeting. PM Modi will also be part of the foundation-laying ceremony for Madhav Netralaya, a modern eye hospital and research institute, coinciding with Gudi Padwa, the Marathi New Year.
PM Modi’s last one-on-one meeting with Bhagwat occurred on May 10, 2014, in Delhi, prior to the Lok Sabha elections. Their next planned appearance together was set for April 27, 2023, during the inauguration of the National Cancer Institute and a cultural center in Koradi, close to Nagpur; however, PM Modi’s visit was canceled due to the Karnataka Assembly elections.
At the Sunday event, PM Modi and Mohan Bhagwat will be joined by notable figures including Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Acharya Govind Giri Maharaj, Avadheshanand Maharaj, and Nagpur’s Guardian Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule.
Modi’s visit aligns with the upcoming centenary celebrations of the RSS, which will commence on Vijayadashami this October. While in Nagpur, PM Modi plans to visit Deekshabhoomi, where Dr. B.R. Ambedkar embraced Buddhism in 1956 along with thousands of followers.
The BJP, ideologically guided by the RSS, is currently conducting organizational elections from the district level up to the national level. The incumbent BJP President, J.P. Nadda, was appointed to the Union Cabinet by PM Modi in June 2024 and has since continued in a dual role.
Modi’s visit comes shortly after the Bengaluru meeting of the RSS Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha, the highest decision-making body of the organization, which passed a resolution expressing concerns regarding “Hindu persecution in Bangladesh.”
In a recent podcast with YouTuber Lex Fridman, PM Modi reflected on the profound influence that RSS teachings had on his life, stating, “The RSS provides you with a clear direction toward what can truly be called a purpose in life. Secondly, the nation is everything, and serving the people is akin to serving God.” PM Modi became involved with the RSS at the age of eight and became a full-time worker for the organization in Gujarat in 1971 at the age of 21.
