After inviting former President and Congress veteran Pranab Mukherjee to speak at its ‘Tritiya Varsh’ ceremony (graduation day), the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is likely to sent an invite to Congress president Rahul Gandhi to attend a three-day lecture series by Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat in New Delhi next month.
“The idea is to invite people from different ideologies for the event,” a source in the RSS told PTI.
While the list is not final yet, a PTI report said it might also include CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury.
The development comes days after Gandhi drew parallels between RSS and Islamic radical outfit Muslim Brotherhood, and the Sangh criticised him for that.
READ | Rahul Gandhi ignorant about India, so can’t understand Sangh: RSS
The RSS is learnt to be organising a three-day lecture series by Mohan Bhagwat on the theme, ‘Future of Bharat: An RSS perspective’. The event will be held at Vigyan Bhavan from September 17-19.
“Bhagwatji will address and interact with select audience comprising prominent citizens on ‘Future of Bharat: An RSS perspective’ in a three-day lecture series,” RSS prachar pramukh Arun Kumar told reporters.
Stating that people across the country wanted to know about the RSS, he added: “This lecture series has been organised in this context… sarsanghchalak (RSS chief) Mohan Bhagwatji will present the Sangh views on various contemporary issues of national importance.”
Asked if Gandhi would be invited, Kumar said the list had not been finalised.
“It is our prerogative to choose who to invite or not. Leave this to us… But people from all walks of life, including from different political outfits, ideologies and religions, will be invited,” he said.
According to reports, Bhagwat will take a final call on this.
In June this year, Pranab Mukherjee attended an event at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur, for which he was criticised by several Congress leaders, including his daughter and MP Sharmistha Mukherjee.
During his ongoing visit to Europe and UK, Gandhi has been attacking the NDA government, the BJP and its ideological mentor RSS.
At the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London on August 24, Gandhi had said the RSS’ idea was similar to that of Muslim Brotherhood in the Arab world. He had also accused the RSS of trying to “change” the nature of India and “capture” its institutions.
In its response, the Sangh said Rahul Gandhi could not understand RSS as he “does not know India”.
(With agency inputs)