A team of functionaries from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) will soon turn up at the offices of Congress president Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition leaders with an invitation to attend the upcoming three-day lecture series by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, in an attempt to clear the air about the Sangh, which Gandhi recently compared to the Muslim Brotherhood.
According to Sangh functionaries aware of the developments, and who asked not to be identified, the RSS will send its functionaries to “personally deliver” the invitation to leaders of Opposition parties, including those from the Left and the BSP, to hear Bhagwat put forth his views on contemporary issues.
He will take questions about the Sangh and its vision for the country.“The invitations for the series ‘Future of Bharat: An RSS perspective’ are being delivered in person as per the tradition of the Sangh,” said one functionary aware of the development.
The Sangh has underlined that it wants the Opposition leaders to hear Bhagwat articulate the organisations’ vision, even as most Opposition leaders blame it for fostering anti-minority sentiments and influencing government policies.
The Congress president’s comparsion of the RSS to the brotherhood, the Egyptian Sunni Islamist organisation, during an address at the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) in London recently was vehemently criticised by the Sangh.
{{/usCountry}}The Congress president’s comparsion of the RSS to the brotherhood, the Egyptian Sunni Islamist organisation, during an address at the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) in London recently was vehemently criticised by the Sangh.
{{/usCountry}}The Sangh responded by saying that the Congress chief did not understand either the RSS or India. “No invite has been received so far. This is a fake news being circulated by the BJP and RSS for self propaganda,” said Congress party’s chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala. The three-day lecture series that aims at propagating the Sangh’s ideology and reaching out to the masses, including its political opponents, is a mammoth exercise of meticulous planning and detailing. Referring to the issues that are likely to be part of the Sangh chief’s speech, a functionary said: “The idea is to set the agenda and not just react to what the opponents say. Therefore, the Sarsangachalak (RSS chief) will speak about the ideology on day one; he will then speak on contemporary issues such as the ongoing discussion about reservation and caste-based conflict, and women and the youth.”