For the first time since taking office in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit the RSS headquarters in Nagpur on March 30. The visit holds considerable political significance as the BJP prepares for a leadership transition, elect its new Party President as well as gear up for the next round of state elections.
On 30th March, PM Narendra Modi will be in Nagpur to lay the foundation stone for an extension of the Madhav Netralaya Eye Institute and Research Centre. The event will be attended by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. Following this, the Prime Minister is likely to visit the headquarters for discussions with Sangh leaders.
The meeting between PM Modi and the RSS leadership comes at a crucial time for the BJP. With a new party president set to be appointed, the discussions will likely revolve around the party’s strategy for upcoming state elections that will extend through 2026.
When the BJP won 240 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections—falling far short of both their coveted 400 mark and the halfway mark of 272—media reports widely speculated, commented, and analysed the RSS’s alleged lukewarm support and campaigning for the saffron party. Incidentally, BJP President JP Nadda’s remarks about the party’s improved capabilities and his reference to the RSS were seen as major reasons for this perception.
Since then, the BJP and the RSS have allayed speculations about a “communication gap”, with the RSS widely credited for the BJP’s spectacular success in seemingly tough election battles in Haryana, Maharashtra, and the National Capital, Delhi.
Moreover, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has, on mutliple times, heaped praises at the RSS for its dedication to national causes and cultural preservation. In a recent podcast with US based Podcaster Lex Fridman, PM Modi described the RSS as a unique organization that has no parallel in the world, emphasizing its role in shaping his “own purpose in life”. Last month, at the 98th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, he credited the RSS with preserving India’s traditions and values for future generations.
Sunil Ambekar, the Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh of RSS on the 19th of March while doing the press conference for the announcement of the Akhil Bhartiya Pratinidhi Sabha, confirmed the reports of Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting RSS headquaters on the 30th March.
Downplaying the media’s overreaction and wild speculations over PM Modi’s first visit to the RSS headquarters, Sunil Ambekar dubbed the meeting as a routine meeting. He stated that Indian Prime Minister will be visiting the Shakha and will be participating in the routine baithak that takes place every year where RSS members from important posts are invited and discussions are held upon the further functioning of the organisation.