PM Modi's RSS HQ visit not first by PM, Vajpayee did too: Sunil Ambekar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters in Nagpur on March 30

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Prachar Pramukh Sunil Ambekar on Wednesday clarified that PM Narendra Modi is not the first sitting Prime Minister of India to visit the RSS headquarters at Reshimbagh, Nagpur. He said Atal Bihari Vajpayee had also visited the headquarters during his tenure as Prime Minister.

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh headquarters in Nagpur, Maharashtra, on March 30, marking his first visit since assuming office in 2014.  

 

The visit will coincide with the beginning of the Hindu calendar year. During his visit, Modi will lay the foundation stone for an expansion project at Madhav Netralaya Eye Institute & Research Centre, an RSS-backed institution.  

 

A press statement from Madhav Netralaya, dated March 17, mentioned the event will be attended by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. The new facility, to be constructed on a 5.83-acre plot, will feature 250 beds, 14 outpatient departments, and 14 modular operation theatres, news agency PTI reported.

 

It was reported earlier that following the event, PM Modi is likely to visit the RSS headquarters in Resham Bagh, Nagpur - his first visit there since becoming PM and the first by any sitting PM.

 

‘Aurangzeb not relevant today’, says Ambekar

Amid calls from the VHP and other groups to remove Aurangzeb’s tomb from Shambaji Nagar, Ambekar said that the Mughal emperor holds ‘no relevance’ in contemporary times and reiterated the organisation’s stance against any form of violence.  

 

“Aurangzeb is not relevant today. No form of violence is encouraged,” Ambekar said. His remarks come at a time of heightened tensions following violent incidents in Nagpur linked to demands for the tomb’s removal.

 

Authorities have detained 50 people, and a curfew remains in place for the second consecutive day across ten police district areas in Nagpur after clashes erupted on March 17, according to the police. Speaking to ANI, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Rahul Maknikar said, “The situation is under control. The investigation is underway. We have formed 10 teams. We have detained 50 people so far.”

 

Meanwhile, the Judicial Magistrate First Class Court (JMFC) has remanded 19 individuals accused in the Nagpur violence case to police custody until March 21. The Ganeshpeth police had presented them before the court on the previous day.  

 

[With agency inputs]