Pranab Mukherjee and Mohan Bhagwat at Hedgewar Residence in Nagpur. (Express Photo by Monica Chaturvedi)
Former President Pranab Mukherjee described Keshav Baliram Hedgewar as a “great son of Mother India’ as he visited the birthplace of the RSS founding Sarsanghachalak on Thursday. In a visitor’s book at Hedgewar’s birthplace ahead of his much-anticipated speech at the RSS headquarters, Mukherjee wrote, “Today I came here to pay my respect and homage to a great son of Mother India.”
Mukherjee was welcomed by Mohan Bhagwat at the RSS headquarters. He had to walk through narrow lanes to reach the house where Hedgewar was born and also removed his shoes before entering the place. PTI quoted sources as saying that visit to pay tributes to Hedgewar was not part of Mukherjee’s scheduled itinerary and an impromptu decision was taken by the former president to do so.
Mukherjee, who reached Nagpur last evening, has been invited by the RSS to address its Shiksha Varg and attend a parade by the Sangh workers on completion of the training camp. It is an annual training camp, meant for swayamsevaks in their third year in the organisation. The RSS holds training camps for first, second and third-year swayamsewaks.
Pranab Mukherjee’s message in the visitor’s book at RSS founder KB Hedgewar’s birthplace in Nagpur. (Source: ANI)
Mukherjee’s decision to attend the RSS event has already triggered a major political slugfest with several Congress leaders criticising his decision. Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel today expressed his disapproval at former president Pranab Mukherjee visiting the RSS headquarters in Nagpur and said he did not expect this from him.
Earlier on Wednesday, Mukherjee’s daughter and Congress leader Sharmistha had said her father was giving the BJP and the Sangh a handle to plant false stories with his decision to speak at the RSS event.