File Pic: July 2013 when Advani visited RSS headquarters to meet RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and senior functionary Bhaiyyaji Joshi
Nagpur: Veteran BJP leader L K Advani, who is known to have been in long time differences with his party’s ideological mentor RSS, is in the reconciliation mode. After a gap of so many years, he will be coming back to Nagpur to attend the annual Dussehra event on Saturday.
Advani has not been on the cordial terms with RSS ever since the times of NDA regime in which he was Deputy Prime Minister while Atal Bihari Vajpayee was Prime Minister.
It all began in 2004 when former Sarsanghchalak K S Sudarshan bitterly criticizing Advani and Vajpayee when they were in power. At that time both were even asked by the latter to step down to make way for young blood. Senior RSS leaders were upset with the duo for not “caring enough for Hindutva”.
A senior functionary said, “the turning point in the RSS-Advani relationship was when four RSS pracharaks were abducted from Tripura and killed in Bangladesh during the NDA-I tenure. The RSS was angry that despite being the Home Minister, Advani had done little to secure the release of the four pracharaks, whose whereabouts were informed by the RSS to him. Advani hailing Pakistan founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah as truly secular had come later and only aggravated the strain in relationship. The killing of pracharaks, however, continued to be the main thorn in the relationship.”
Asked about the significance of Advani’s return to RSS headquarter, the functionary said, “nothing much should be read into it, especially politically, since Advani is clearly out of political reckoning. It’s possibly just a feeling of repentance that is bringing him here.”
RSS invites Dalit leader as chief guest
The RSS has invited Dalit religious leader Nirmaldas Maharaj from Punjab as chief guest for the Dussehra function, where the RSS chief delivers the all-important policy speech for the entire Sangh Parivar. Nirmaldas heads the Siriguru Sadhu Ravidas Sampardai Society working among Dalits. According to sources, “invite to Nirmaldas has to do with his work to prevent conversion.”
Dalits flock to Nagpur by thousands to attend the annual Dhammachakra Pravartan Din programme to commemorate conversion to Buddhism by Babasaheb Ambedkar along with lakhs of his supporters. RSS invite to a Dalit Hindu seer assumes significance against the backdrop of the Dhamma day.
