For the first time since becoming Prime Minister, Narendra Modi visited the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters in Nagpur on Sunday, March 30. During his visit, he paid tribute to RSS founder icons Keshav Baliram Hedgewar and M.S. Golwalkar. The visit is seen as an attempt to iron out differences between the RSS and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Accompanied by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Modi also laid the foundation stone for Madhav Netralaya, an eye hospital aided by the RSS. According to reports, Modi and Bhagwat engaged in a discussion on the sidelines of the event.
Modi’s visit comes amid speculation of discord between the RSS and the BJP, particularly regarding the appointment of the new BJP president and other policy issues. Modi’s visit is significant as it signals a thaw in relations between the BJP and the RSS leadership.
Downplaying the friction between the RSS and the BJP, several leaders dubbed the visit a “historic” event. They stressed that there was no difference of opinion between the Sangh and the BJP.
It must be remembered that tensions between the BJP and the RSS peaked during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections after BJP president JP Nadda’s remarks that the BJP does not require help or hand-holding from the RSS and has become self-sufficient.
Nadda’s remarks reportedly irked the RSS leadership, leading the organization to maintain a distance from the BJP during the elections. This detachment proved costly for the party, which had set an ambitious target of securing 400 seats but managed to win only 240 Lok Sabha seats, a significant shortfall.
After the election results, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat twice indirectly criticized PM Modi for claiming to be “godsend” and suggesting that he was not a normal biological human being. The RSS had also openly criticized the Modi government for mishandling the Manipur conflict.
After several rounds of talks between the RSS and the BJP, the RSS eventually supported the BJP in the Haryana and Maharashtra assembly elections.