The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) will be holding a lecture series by its chief Mohan Bhagwat from September 17 to 19 in New Delhi as part of an outreach programme.
It may even invite Congress president Rahul Gandhi, whom the RSS has accused of being ignorant about the organisation.
Mr. Gandhi has, in his tour of Europe, compared the RSS to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, to which RSS prachar pramukh Arun Kumar responded by stating that “one who doesn’t understand India cannot understand the Sangh.”
At a press conference in New Delhi on Monday, Mr. Kumar gave details of what is the biggest outreach attempted by the RSS, not known for any big interactions.
Series of lectures
“RSS sarsanghchalakji (chief), Mohan Bhagwat, will be addressing a series of lectures on various aspects of the RSS and its activities, entitled ‘The Future of Bharat: An RSS Perspective’. We will be inviting a swathe of people from all sections of society, including political parties, to the event,” said Mr. Kumar.
Asked about possible invites to Mr. Gandhi and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, Mr. Kumar did not categorically deny the prospect, but said that it was the “prerogative of the RSS who it invited” and that the “invite list would be shared once finalised.”
Responding specifically to Mr. Gandhi’s charges, Mr. Kumar said that he was unaware about the “concept of Muslim Brotherhood.”
“The entire world today is facing the threat of Islamic fundamentalism. He is unaware... he does not understand the gravity of the situation, that’s why he is making such statements,” he said.
Referring to the Congress president’s old statement that he is trying to understand India, Mr. Kumar said, “one who doesn't understand India cannot understand the Sangh.”
‘Ignorant about India’
He is ignorant about India and its cultural ethos of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”, which means the world is one family, Mr. Kumar said.
Later in the evening, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi responded to a query on whether or not Mr. Gandhi would be attending the event.
“We have not received any invitation from the RSS. We can’t comment on imaginary things,” he said.
Significantly, former President Pranab Mukherjee had created a furore within the Congress by attending an event at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur in June this year.
