He said scare-mongering was being done by some that there was a danger to minorities, but asserted that this is neither the nature of the Sangh nor of Hindus.
There should be no recurrence of Udaipur and Amravati incidents (where a tailor and a pharmacist were killed after they support suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma), Mr Bhagwat said, adding that a particular community as a whole should not be taken as the root cause for it.
The RSS chief added that the concept of "Hindu Rashtra is now being taken seriously".
"Now, when the Sangh is receiving the affection and confidence of people and also has become strong, the concept of Hindu Rashtra is being taken seriously," he said.
"Many people agree with the concept, but are opposed to the word 'Hindu' and they prefer to use other words. We don't have any issue with that. For the clarity of concept - we will keep emphasising the word Hindu for ourselves," he said.
He also laid emphasis on women's empowerment and said a society cannot progress without women.
Acclaimed mountaineer Santosh Yadav was the chief guest at the function. She is the first woman in the world to climb the Mount Everest twice.
Mr Bhagwat said "horrific and grisly incidents" occurred in Udaipur and some other places recently which stunned the society made most of the people sad and angry.
After the Udaipur incident, few prominent persons from within the Muslim society voiced their protest against it. "This manner of protest should not be an isolated phenomenon within the Muslim society rather it should become the nature of their large sections," he said.
"The Hindu society in general assertively expressed their protests and strong reactions after such incidents even if the accused be Hindu persons," he said.
"Whatever be the extent of provocation, protests always have to be within the boundaries of laws and Constitution. "Our society should come together, not fall apart or quarrel," said Mr Bhagwat.
He said everyone should speak mindfully and sensibly with a sense of mutual reciprocity in word, deed and actions.
"We look different and distinctive, so we are different, we want separation, we cannot be with this country, its way of life and ideas or its identity; due to this falsehood brothers were separated, territory was lost, places of worship were destroyed - no one was happy with the poisonous experience of partition," he said.
"We are of Bharat, came from Bhartiya ancestors and its eternal culture, we are one as a society and in our nationality, this is the only protective shield, the mantra for us all," he said.
He said "scare-mongering is done among the so-called minorities that there is a danger to them because of us or organised Hindus".
This has not happened in the past, nor will it happen in future. This is neither the nature of the Sangh nor of the Hindus, history bears this out, he asserted.
"Self defence and defence of our own becomes a duty for everyone against those who spread hatred, commit injustice, atrocity, engage in acts of hooliganism and enmity towards society," he said.
"Neither threatens nor gets threatened," this kind of a Hindu society is a need of the present times. This is not anti-anybody. The Sangh has a steely resolve to stand on the side of brotherhood, amity and peace," said Mr Bhagwat.
He said with some such worries from among the so-called minorities, some people have been meeting them. They have had meetings and discussions with the Sangh office-bearers and this will continue.
He said obstacles are created by forces who are inimical to India's unity and progress. Broadcasting wrong and fake narratives for spreading misperceptions, engaging and encouraging criminal acts, fomenting terror, conflict and social unrest are their tactics.
" We are experiencing these. These forces pit different sections of society against each other on the basis of sectional self-interest and hatred, and increase chasms and enmities, this has been their conduct in independent Bharat.
Without getting trapped in their machinations, irrespective of their language, religion, region, policy, they have to be dealt with fearlessly, relentlessly and be either protested or repelled. We should assist the government's and administration's efforts to control and bring such forces to its heels. Only our society's strong and pro-active cooperation can ensure our comprehensive security and unity," he said.
Mr Bhagwat said "the devotion to Bharat, the shining ideals of our ancestors and the great Sanskriti of our country, these are the three pillars which light up and pave our path on which we have to travel together with love and affection. This is our selfhood and Rashtra Dharma".
The Sangh works to develop the entire society as an organised force. This work is Hindu Sangathan work because the above mentioned thought is called as the thought of Hindu nation and it is so, he said.
Therefore, without opposing anybody, the Sangh organises all who subscribe to this thought - that is "organising the Hindu society for protecting the Hindu dharma, sanskriti, samaj, and an all-round development of the Hindu Rashtra," opined Mr Bhagwat.
Raising concerns over inequality, he said temples, water sources and cremation grounds should be common for all.
"We should not fight over petty things. Talks like someone can ride a horse and the other person cannot, should have no place in society and we have to work towards it," Mr Bhagwat said.
The Constitution engineered political and economic equality but without social equity, real and stable transformation is not possible, such a cautionary advice was given by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, he said.
Later, ostensibly, some rules were made to achieve this objective. "But the root cause of inequality is in our minds, social conditioning and habitual conduct," he said.
"Personal and inter-family/community friendships, easy and informal exchanges, co-mingling take place and at the social level unless temples, water sources and cremation grounds are open to all Hindus, till such time the talk of equality will be a mere pipe dream," Mr Bhagwat said.
He also laid emphasis on 'Matri Shakti' and pitched for equal participation of women in the growth and development of India.
"We must empower our women. Society cannot progress without women. Our prestige and credibility increased in the world. In the past, we put some restrictions on women although culturally we call them our mother out of respect. However, after the invasions that went on for decades, we legitimised those restrictions," he said.
There have been many instances in the past when the RSS had invited noted women personalities on its stage as the chief guest of Dussehra rally, including Anusuyabai Kale, Rajkumari Amrut Kaur and Kumudtai Rangnekar, he said.
Mohan Bhagwat said there is a need to give equal rights to women and freedom for taking decisions in the public and family works.
Women can do all work that can be done by men, but men cannot do all the work that women can do, this is their strength, he added.
Bhagwat said that the balance of population was also getting disturbed due to conversion and infiltration, "which is very worrying".
Addressing RSS Swayamsevaks on the customary Vijayadashami celebration here on Wednesday at the sprawling Reshimbagh ground, Bhagwat said that due to population imbalance, many other countries of the world also broke up and separated from them, East Timor, South Sudan and Kosovo, were formed.
Bhagwat demanded the government should bring a holistic control policy of population. "The population policy should be prepared after serious brainstorming and should be implemented on all. No one should be exempted from this overall policy," he said.
Bhagwat also strongly advocated for women empowerment in the country, and said that men and women are equal in every aspect and respect, have equal potential and capabilities.
Bhagwat pointed out that women, who are regarded as "jagat janani (mother of the universe)", but at home they are treated as "slaves". The empowerment of women should begin at home and they should be given their rightful place in the society, he said.
Bhagwat underlined the importance of women's role in realizing the vision of India once again becoming a 'vishwa guru' (world leader). "If we want to build a vishwa guru Bharat then equal participation of women is also required," he said, and added that changes were also reflected in the society.
The RSS chief was speaking on women empowerment in front of its chief guest, Padma Shri Santosh Yadav, an acclaimed mountaineer, who was invited for the Vijayadashami function, the first woman chief guest for such a programme in the 97-year-old history of RSS.
He reminded that it was not the first time that a woman was invited in the RSS function, the veteran Congress leader and former Union Minister Amrita Kaur and first Lok Sabha member from Nagpur Anusuabai Kale and others were also invited in the RSS programmes.
Bhagwat said that India was fast recovering from the economic crisis due to Covid and and India's role during the Sri Lankan political crisis and also during the Ukraine war was laudable. "Our political weight has gone up in the world due to these two situations, Bhagwat asserted", he said.
The RSS chief said the dialogue with the members of minority communities will continue and it has been going on for years. The violent incidents have been condemned even by the prominent Muslim leaders in the country. "We are in favour of living in peace and harmony," said Bhagwat.
Elaborating the RSS' philosophy, Bhagwat said that Hinduism is not a religion but a way of life.
Addressing a gathering in Shillong, the RSS chief said all are Hindus as all Indians are the inhabitants of Hindustan, which, he said is in the south of the Himalayas, north of Indian Ocean, on the bank of the Indus river.
"The habitants of this area are traditionally called Hindus. This is also called Bharat," said Bhagwat, who arrived here on Saturday on a two-day visit.
He said that even before the Mughals who have spread Islam and the British rulers who spread Christianity, Hindus were already in existence.
Highlighting the ideology of RSS, Bhagwat said the term 'Hindu' covers all those who are the sons of 'Bharat Mata', descendants of Indian ancestors and who live in accordance with Indian culture.
Ruling out the fear of religious conversion, the RSS supremo said to become Hindu one does not have to change since everyone here is Hindu.
"India is not a country with a western concept. It has been a cultural country since time immemorial; in fact, it is such a country, which has taught the world the lesson of humanity."
Since Saturday, he has attended a series of events, including the meeting of RSS functionaries and workers across the hill state.
Several BJP leaders, members of Hindu organisations attended the events organised by the Meghalaya unit of RSS.
Bhagwat's visit to Meghalaya -- a Christian majority state, assumes significance as Assembly elections are scheduled to be held there in February next year.
Elaborate security arrangements were made in the state in view of the visit of Bhagwat, who has a 'Z Plus' security cover.
Underlining that war does not solve problems but only harms humanity, he appealed to the global leaders, diplomats, and civil society to persuade Putin to resolve the issues through dialogue.
Governments, politicians, diplomats, defence experts, scientists and civil society of all the countries in the world, including India, should come together and build pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to immediately stop the war and follow the path of dialogue, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader said in a message.
India wants peace. There should not be any situation that increases the war. The horrors of war are extremely frightening, painful and unbearable, he added.
Kumar, who is founder and chief patron of the Rashtriya Muslim Manch and Rashtriya Christian Manch, also appealed to the Muslim and Christian leaders to advise Russia to tread the path of peace, harmony and brotherhood.
War does not solve any problem. In the horrors of war, a large number of innocent lives are lost, lakhs of people are rendered homeless and thousands of crores are lost, he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday spoke with Putin after Russia launched a military offensive against Ukraine and called for an immediate cessation of violence while also stressing that India attaches the highest priority to the safe exit and return of its citizens from Ukraine.
Modi also asserted that differences between Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization can only be resolved through "honest and sincere" dialogue.
Talking to mediapersons yesterday, Deb showed pictures of accused Kartik Meher clad in RSS uniform that were doing rounds on social media and alleged that BJP is trying to protect the RSS.
"The pictures clearly indicate that the youth is a member of the RSS and I am sure that the organisation does not take a mentally challenged person as member,” said Deb.
Besides, Deb demanded a probe on Padampur Inspector-in-Charge Jashobant Pradhani who had earlier claimed that Kartik is not mentally sound and denied any political link.
In response to Deb's allegation Mohanty said, "More than 200 persons were present at the Chief Minister's programme where the accused was sitting in the first row. Without being concerned about the security how can Deb raise such an issue?"
Mohanty further said as police are responsible for security of the Chief Minister, the officer on duty should be questioned as to how the accused managed to reach the front row.
"Our armed forces are guiding our nation. Such statements against them is shameful. We want that the RSS chief to apologies to the country and the armed forces," said a youth Congress activist.
Youth Congress president Loknath Maharathy said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi was once a full time RSS cadre. So it becomes all the more important for him to take action against the RSS chief for making such statements. We strongly condemn it. “
As per sources, the youth Congress on Thursday staged a demonstration at Master Canteen and burnt effigies of Bhagwat and PM Modi in protest.
The RSS Chief at a gathering in Muzaffarpur on Sunday compared the organization's worker to the army and said "If situation arises and the Constitution permits, Indian Army would take six months to prepare, whereas Sangh Swayamsevaks can be trained in three days, as Swayamsevaks practice discipline regularly."
"RSS does not play politics. It is committed to Hindutva," said Bhagwat at an event in Angul district which was attended by Union ministers Jual Oram and Dharamendra Pradhan, and around 700 RSS workers.
India is traditionally a pious country and has seen many ups and downs. The country can now emerge as a global leader, he said, adding Hinduism is a way of life and not just a religion.
"When the western world looks east, they find India and China. But they (western world) do not have faith in China due to its aggressive attitude. All have faith in India. India can emerge as a global leader," he added.
Besides, he claimed that minorities are safe in India and Muslims "live happily here".
Also Read: BJP prepares blueprint for Bijepur bypoll
On December 26 and 27, Bhagwat will review various works and initiatives of the RSS and will interact and advise the members.
Also Read: RSS doesn’t fully agree to cracker ban in Delhi
Bhagwat will leave Odisha on December 27 evening, informed Sameer Kumar Mohanty of RSS Odisha Eastern Zone.
Addressing mediapersons, AAP Convenor Nishikant Mohapatra said, "We have brought very pin-pointed allegation as the posts were seen on the social media account of a State BJP activist. We have checked 15 to 20 social media accounts and are demanding action against the particular person responsible for the incident."
Though the Congress has not refuted the charge, BJP spokersperson Sajjan Sharma said, "The allegation of AAP is partial. They are also involved in the issue but have washed their hands off it. One among the two persons who had posted on social media in the beginning has been held, the other persons should be arrested soon and that will solve the argument on the incident."
The joint secretary of RSS, V Bhaigaih, is also slated to attend the Baithak along with 250 delegates from organisational districts of RSS from Odisha, West Bengal, the Andaman and Nicobar islands and Sikkim.
According sources, Bhagwat will also address a public meeting at Mandalia ground in the town. Besides, he will also attend various sangha programmes during his two-day stay in Sambalpur.
Meanwhile, security arrangements have been tightened keeping RSS chief’s stay in the town.
Puri: The consecration ceremony of Goddess Bimala Temple in Puri organized under the auspices of Shankaracharya of Gobardhan Peeth, Swami Nischalananda Saraswati concluded today.
BJP’s national president Amit Shah who was on a one-day visit to Odisha, graced the concluding evening of the ceremony as chief guest.
“The manner in which the Puri Jagannath temple spreads peace and harmony amongst all irrespective of poor or rich, the Bimala Temple will also provide spiritual upliftment to the devotees for years to come,” said Shah in his address during the ceremony.
Also Read: Puri seer slams poor governance, inept people representatives
Earlier in the afternoon, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat also attended the ceremony as the chief guest of the session. He also participated in a discussion on the need of being a better citizen for a better society. The discussion laid emphasis on the change in education policy of the country to give more importance to moral and spiritual education in order to build a better society.
“As far as I know, the Central government is planning to make moral education based on the culture and tradition of India, an indispensible part of the curriculum,” said Bhagwat.
“There is a need to delve upon a curriculum which promotes spiritual and moral education of our country, and which is acceptable to all,” said Puri King Gajapati Dibya Singha Deb.
"We are confident that the Ram Mandir will be built soon… We have already waited too long for it and cannot wait indefinitely… If necessary, we shall launch a ‘jan andolan' (mass agitation)," declared RSS General Secretary (Sarakaryavyah) Suresh ‘Bhaiyyaji' Joshi.
He urged the courts to take up sensitive cases like the Ram temple on priority and expressed confidence that all legal hurdles would be removed soon in this regard.
Joshi reiterated the RSS demand that the government should consider enacting a law or promulgating an ordinance to pave the way for constructing the temple.
His remarks came at the end of a three-day long RSS Akhil Bharatiya Karyakari Mandal conclave held near Uttan Beach of Bhayander town.
"Good food, friendly faces and great conversation make for a memorable Iftar! We were honoured to have two former Presidents, Pranab Da and Smt Pratibha Patil ji join us, along with leaders from different political parties, the media, diplomats and many old and new friends," Gandhi tweeted afterwars.
https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi/status/1006931740865146880
UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi was not present in the meeting as she has not returned from abroad. Rahul's Iftar party was not attended by prominent opposition leaders like H.D. Deve Gowda, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, Samajwadi Party leaders Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.
Even Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu, who was believed to have been invited, did not attend.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, former President Patil and former Vice President Hamid Ansari were among the dignitaries who attended the function at a hotel where leaders from opposition parties including rebel Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav, Communist Party of India-Marxist General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, Janata Dal-Secular leader Danish Ali, Trinamool Congress leader Dinesh Trivedi and Bahujan Samaj Party's Satish Chandra Mishra were also present.
Nationalist Congress Party leader D.P. Tripathi, DMK's Kanimozhi, Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Jha, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha's Hemant Soren and AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal were the other opposition leaders who were present along with Congress leaders P. Chidambaram and A.K. Antony.
Gandhi also met foreign delegates and diplomats at the Iftar party.
Mukherjee, whose acceptance of the RSS invite became a matter of big controversy, greeted those present at the function as he moved among the guests. Rahul Gandhi welcomed him and other guests.
There was even speculation whether Mukherjee would be invited but the party issued an official statement to set at rest any such reports by saying that the former President has indeed been invited.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) said in a statement that Mukherjee's acceptance of the invite for the June 7 function was not "surprising".
Its leader Narender Kumar said that Mukherjee will be the chief guest at the concluding function of "Tritiya Varsh Varg" or third-year course and address the 'swayamsevaks'. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat will be the main speaker.
"Those who know the sangh and understand it, it is not surprising for them or nothing new. It is normal for them because the RSS has been inviting prominent persons and those engaged in social service. This time, the RSS invited Dr Pranab Mukherjee and it is his greatness to have accepted the invitation," an RSS statement said.
The organisation said that the 25-day "Tritiya Varsh Varg" is held every year at Nagpur in which members from all over the country take part for training.
The statement said that even Mahatma Gandhi visited the RSS camp at Wardha and later stated that he was impressed by the "strict discipline, simplicity and lack of discrimination" in the organisation.
Former President Zakir Husain, socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan and General (later Field Marshal) K. M. Carriappa were other personalities who attended RSS events.
Union Minister and BJP leader Nitin Gadkari said that there should be an exchange of views and political untouchability was outdated.
"We should meet each other, talk to each other, respect views. The notion of political untouchability is outdated. Those who practice this say others are communal but they are themselves communal," Gadkari said.
Congress Spokesperson Tom Vadakkan did not comment on Mukherjee's acceptance of the RSS invite.
"At this point, I have no comments to offer. Let the event take place first, only after that it will be appropriate to give comments. If you know everything about the history and the specialisation of the RSS and BJP, then I would not like to comment any more on that," he said.
But party leader and former MP Sandeep Dikshit asked if Mukherjee had changed his views on the RSS or the organisation had accepted the views of the former President.
Dikshit said that Mukherjee, who had served the Congress for decades before being appointed President in 2012, had told them that "there is no organisation as cheap, dirty, crafty, untruthful and unpatriotic as the RSS".
He said Mukherjee had said that the RSS should not exist in the country even for a minute.
"Such a person who considers the RSS poisonous, dirty, even worse than snake... such a person is being called by the RSS. On what issue are they calling. Has Pranab Mukherjee changed his views or there is no self-respect left in the RSS," Dikshit said.
Communist Party of India leader D. Raja said that it was for Mukherjee to decide on the invite.
"He is not a child. He is a former President. He was one of the top leaders of the Congress. He has been holding many important positions in the government. He is one of the elderly statesmen in the country today. Whether he has accepted, whether he will go I don't know. It is for him to decide."
"If you ask me, I will say I will not go. Why should I go? I know the RSS agenda. If I were in his place, I will not go," he said.
Rakesh Sinha, who teaches at Delhi University and is Honorary Director of the India Policy Foundation, said Mukherjee's acceptance of the invitation was a message to the nation that on vital issues there should be dialogue and adversaries are not enemies.
"Moreover, the question raised on RSS Hindutva is philosophy of Hinduism by contemporary political forces is being answered by Mukherjee's acceptance of invitation," he said.
Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Manoj Jha said Mukherjee will tell the RSS to "have a delete button in their divisive politics".
"I am sure Pranab Mukherjee ji will tell them what liberal India is," he said.
However, senior party leader Tejashwi Yadav said it was Mukherjee's decision and he would not like to comment.
BJP leader Subramanian Swamy said that the Congress leaders should follow in the footsteps of Mukherjee.
"I think more senior Congressmen should do this because we need a national outlook and that can be done only when outside the political spectrum... they should assemble and educate the people on the virtues of nationalism," he said.
Samajwadi Party Spokesperson Ghanshayam Tewari said too much politics should not be read into the issue.
"It only goes on to prove that once you are President of India, any organisation could seek your guidance," he said.
The agency took over the case from Punjab Police following a Home Ministry order on Thursday, nearly a month after the state government decided to hand over the investigation to it.
Gosain, 60, was returning home after attending a morning drill (RSS Shakha) when he was attacked by two unidentified bike-borne assailants in Ludhiana last month. He died on the spot while the attackers fled.
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh had decided to hand over the probe to the NIA while announcing Rs 5 lakh compensation for the deceased's family and a government job for one of his progeny.
The NIA, in compliance of the Ministry of Home Affairs order, has re-registered the case under sections 10, 12 and 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, sections 302 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code and section 25 of the Arms Act at Jodhewal police station yesterday, the spokesman said.
An NIA team from New Delhi has reached Ludhiana to take over the investigation.
On October 17, two unidentified persons killed Gosain, chief of Raghunathnagar Shakha of the RSS in Ludhiana, when he was sitting outside his house.
Initially, a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by Deputy Commissioner of Police Gagan Ajit Singh was formed by the state government to probe the case.
Gosain, who lost his wife to cancer some years ago, is survived by four children.
The killing of the RSS leader was the latest in a series of murderous attacks on right-wing and religious leaders in Punjab. This was the eighth such incident in the state since 2016.
The incident occurred at around 1.30 p.m. when Anand, who was on a two-wheeler, was knocked down by a car. He was then hacked to death.
Anand was pronounced dead in a hospital.
The victim was an accused in the murder of a Communist Party of India-Marxist worker in 2014.
Anand was currently out on bail.
The incident occurred when unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants shot at the 35-year-old, Rajesh Mishra, also a journalist working with the Dainik Jagran Hindi daily, who was sitting at his brother Amitesh's shop in the Karanda area.
Locals and passers-by rushed the two to a nearby hospital where Rajesh was pronounced brought dead.
Amitesh, 30, is said to be in critical condition.
A senior police official said Rajesh was an active RSS member and was also working as a contractor.
So far, no details have emerged in the initial probe but added that they were talking to the family of the deceased.
"Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh feels that bad effects of bursting firecrackers should be pointed out; but all firecrackers don't spread pollution. Diwali is a festival of hapiness. Only the fireworks that harm the environment and spread pollution shoul dbe banned," RSS Sarkaryavah Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi told the media at the end of a three-day RSS meeting here.
There should be a balanced view on the issue, he added.
"We have been celebrating this festival of happiness for many years. We even light earthern lamps -- tomorrow someone may have a problem with this as well. So, we need to ponder over this issue," the RSS leader added.
The top court had by its November 11, 2016 order banned the sale and stocking of firecrackers, lifted the ban was lifted on September 12 this year, but, on a plea for the recall of the September 12 lifting order, the top court restored the ban till October 31, saying the September 12 order would come into operation from November 1.
The top court by its October 9 order had said that the impact of the ban on the sale of firecrackers on the air pollution in Delhi on Diwali should be tested at least once.
"Vehicle of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat met with a minor accident on his way to Vrindavan from Delhi. It was a minor one and everybody is safe. His journey has resumed," Vaidya said in a statement.
Bhagwat is scheduled to meet intellectuals from different walks of life besides government officials and NGOs representatives on Friday.
He said India does not believe in "one language-one nation, one community-one nation". Quoting Sister Nivedita, he said: "Reconstitution of a nation has to begin with its ideals."
According to him, when the Ramayana serial was telecast, every household used to watch it and the same also happened in Pakistan when the serial was telecast there.
"This is because this land since the early ages through its experience created a consciousness," he said at a programme organised to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Sister Nivedita.
"There is no need to fight," Bhagwat said, adding that people of different languages, ethnicities and religions were respected and recognised in India
He called Bharat Mata "the base of the unity".
Being a geographically distinct nation, India had the capability of giving birth to nationality and the country considered the world as its relative, he said, adding that "despite people wanting to be our foes, we (India) do not have enemies".
Dwelling on why he opposed the Sachar Committee recommendations, Bhagwat said one of his Muslim friends appreciated the Hindu lineage of Indian Muslims, but the community he represented largely did not believe that.
"Over the years there has been so many outside influences in Bharat and we assimilated all, we digested all. It is true. So many rivers have flowed into Ganga, but Ganga remained Ganga. I told him once they educate themselves and understand the fact, we are ready to withdraw our opposition."
"Once Rabindranath Tagore said that these two communities will not die while fighting with each other but they will find a way to stay together...that will be the Hindu way," Bhagwat said.
Addressing RSS volunteers on its 92nd foundation day, Bhagwat said Hindus who migrated to the state from west Pakistan in 1947 were in a "miserable state of refugees for their decision to be in Bharat and remain as Hindu".
He blamed certain constitutional provisions, like Article 35(A) that empowers the state's legislature to define Jammu and Kashmir residents and accords citizenship rights to them, for the "backward life" of these Hindu migrants.
"This is happening just because the discriminatory provisions in the state of Jammu and Kashmir that denied them the fundamental rights," he said, and called for creating conditions so that they could live "a happy, dignified and secure life...while remaining firm and devoted to their religions and national identity".
"For this just work, necessary Constitutional amendments will have to be made and old provisions will have to be changed. Then and then only, the residents of Jammu and Kashmir can be completely assimilated with rest of Bharat and their equal cooperation and share will be possible in the national progress."
The Article 35(A), which also bars non-residents from buying property in the state, applying for government jobs, voting in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, is being debated in the Supreme Court after a petition called for its revocation.
Bhagwat also spoke about Kashmiri Pandits, who migrated from the valley in early 1990s when an armed insurgency broke out in the state, saying their condition "remains as it is".
Welcoming the government's initiative of firmly dealing with separatists and militants, Bhagwat said the "path for complete resolution of the (Kashmir) issue will be facilitated when the entire society will stand behind the well- thought policy of dealing sternly and strongly with the anti-national forces".
"To eradicate the poison of alienation and unrest created through the systematic and false propaganda over the years, the society will have to show the natural affection through these positive actions."
Officials had earlier said the National Students Union of India (NSUI) bagged three seats but later announced that the Joint Secretary post went to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), sparking a row.
The NSUI has vowed to contest the results in the Delhi High Court, claiming that it had won three seats.
The ABVP had three posts in the outgoing panel of the DUSU.
The poll results were declared a day after the voting which had a 42.8 per cent turnout.
The NSUI's Rocky Tuseed is the new DUSU President -- a post the Congress' student wing held last in 2012. Kunal Sehrawat will be the new Vice President. ABVP's Mahamedhaa Nagar and Uma Shankar won the posts of Secretary and Joint Secretary respectively.
Tuseed, who polled 16,299 votes, defeated ABVP's Rajat Chaudhary by 1,590 votes. Sehrawat, with 16,431 votes, scraped past ABVP's Parth Rana by just 175 votes. Nagar polled 17,156 votes to win by 2,624 votes while Shankar got 16,691 votes -- winning by 342 votes.
The NSUI has demanded recounting of the votes for the Joint Secretary post, which it claimed its candidate had won.
Congress leader Girish Chodankar, who is in charge of the NSUI, told IANS that they had won three of the four seats "but there was manipulation following the personal intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, after which the results were tampered".
"We have asked the election committee to recount the votes. If they do not do it by the end of the day, we will approach the Delhi High Court to contest the result. This is a matter of shame for the BJP that they have to manipulate results to ensure that ABVP wins," Chodankar told IANS.
The DUSU had been under the ABVP's dominance for the past few years. In a straight contest with the NSUI, the ABVP had won three posts in 2016 while the Congress-affiliate had won one post - that of Joint Secretary.
Top Congress leaders including Vice President Rahul Gandhi, who is in the US, said the DUSU election result indicated that younger people, especially students, in the country were warming up to the party once again.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi met the NSUI's winners and its members at her residence after their victory march in the university's north campus.
"Congratulations NSUI on a stellar performance and President win in DUSU. (I) Thank students of DU for reposing faith in the Congress ideology," Rahul Gandhi tweeted.
Party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said the "resounding victory of the NSUI is a rejection of false promises of 'acche din' of Modiji".
Shashi Tharoor, who is accompanying Gandhi in the US, tweeted his congratulations. "Congratulations @nsui on an outstanding performance in #DUSUelection2017. A triumph for liberal values on campus. Proud of you!"
Senior lawyer and Swaraj Abhiyan founder-member Prashant Bhushan also congratulated "DUSU for booting out ABVP goons".
"After losses in JNU, Guwahati University, Panjab University, it's clear that students are rejecting the ABVP," he tweeted.
The NSUI, which took out a car rally in the north campus, celebrating with loud slogan shouting and alleging that the BJP government and the RSS had manipulated the results for joint secretary's post.
The "HRD Ministry and the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) were pressuring DU administration to manipulate the results", NSUI tweeted.
"We will approach the Grievance Cell now for the recounting," NSUI's Avinash Yadav, who lost the Joint Secretary seat told IANS.
Yadav said senior ABVP leaders were present inside during the counting and the screen showing the video of the counting process went blank for as long as 30 seconds pointing to some irregularities.
Chief Election Officer S. B. Babbar, however, said there were no lapses in the counting as "DU is the only university which uses EVMs".
"He (Avinash Yadav) is crying foul because he lost by a close margin. And as for lapses in video, they were no longer than couple of seconds."
"There were no ABVP leaders inside, nor from NSUI, only the candidates," Babbar told IANS.
Asked about the low margin of his victory, Vice President-elect Sehrawat told IANS: "A win is a win. The margin of victory doesn't matter."
The DUSU boost for the Congress student wing came after its dismal performance at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, where the Left alliance won all four seats, defeating the ABVP.
Nagar is accused of hitting a teacher during the violent clashes at Ramjas college earlier this year. After her selection as candidate many pictures of her allegedly manhandling students during the protests did the rounds on social media.
Chennai: Congress president Rahul Gandhi today claimed that Tamils are being killed as they refused to "bow" to the ideology of the RSS.
In an apparent reference to the anti-copper plant violence at Tuticorin yesterday in which 10 people were killed in police firing, Gandhi said he was with the Tamil people.
Violence continued for the second day today and a man was killed in police firing.
"Tamils are being killed since they refuse to bow to the ideology of the RSS. The feelings of the Tamil people can never be trampled by the bullets of the RSS and Modi. We are with you Tamil brothers and sisters #SterliteProtest," he said in a tweet in Tamil.
The Congress chief had in a tweet yesterday said that the gunning down of people is a "brutal example of state sponsored terrorism".
"These citizens were murdered for protesting against injustice," he wrote.
"I have filed a case of criminal defamation and the hearing is likely to take place on October 22," lawyer Dhrituman Joshi, who filed the complaint, said.
In the complaint filed on Friday, Joshi cited some purported remarks by Gandhi and Yechury and alleged that they had blamed the RSS for the murder.
"Statements made by the accused and the respective political parties are in utmost sense defamatory and belittle the RSS in the eyes of common public. There was a definite move by the accused to tarnish the image of the RSS, without citing any proof," Joshi alleged in his complaint.
He said that being an RSS worker, he was humiliated and defamed before the common people.
The complaint claimed that the comments, which are "defamatory and detrimental to the image of the RSS", have been made without any proof or official statement by the investigating authorities.
Joshi has also made the Congress, its president Sonia Gandhi and the CPI(M) as party to his complaint.
Journalist Lankesh was killed on September 6 by unidentified assailants at her residence in Karnataka.
Rahul Gandhi is already facing a defamation case in a court at Bhiwandi in Thane district over his alleged comment against the RSS regarding Mahatma Gandhi's assassination.
A search has also been intensified for the other accused, they said.
A gang led by a history sheeter had attacked the 34-year-old RSS 'karyavahak'and hacked him to death. His left arm was chopped off and there were several injuries all over his body.
City police has extended prohibitory orders for three more days till August 2 and banned processions in the state capital.
The dawn-to-dusk state-wide hartal called by BJP today in protest against the incident was almost total.
People who reached railway stations unaware of the hartal had difficulty in getting vehicles to reach their homes.
BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan alleged that the CPI(M) was behind the attack.
Describing the murder as brutal, he said this is "annihilation politics" aimed at wiping off the RSS and BJP.
The BJP would take up the matter with the Prime Minister, Home Minister and the National Human Rights Commission, he said.
However, the CPI(M) district leadership has denied any role of the party in the attack.
The incident comes close on the heels of the attack of BJP's Kerala unit office and stone pelting at the house of CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan's son Bineesh Kodiyeri here.
Replying to a question on the BJP-led NDA's candidate for the Presidential polls in July as the opposition was already working on putting up a joint candidate, said BJP President Amit Shah told Aaj Tak channel in an interview that a decision is yet to be taken.
"Even if I have a name on my mind, it has to be discussed within the party first," he said.
He also rejected the Shiv Sena's proposal regarding Bhagwat, saying that party has itself ruled it out.
To questions on Kashmir, Shah said there was no need for even an "iota of concern" over the situation in the state which has witnessed months of unrest, and asserted that the Narendra Modi-led government will control it soon.
"There is a big gap between the reality and the projection" of the Kashmir situation and the trouble was confined to "three and half districts", he said.
The government was keeping a sharp vigil over the situation and the Valley has witnessed many spells of such unrest in the past, before the situation has normalised, he said.
Shah also attacked the Congress for criticising the government, claiming that it had no right to do so as the Kashmir problem was an outcome of the policies of its governments since independence.
Terming the lynching of seven persons in Jharkhand by a mob over abduction rumours as an "isolated and stray incident" which happens in a country of 125 crore people, the BJP chief said it would not be appropriate to link such cases of violence to his party.
People should look up the crime data to find out if cases of violence have increased under the BJP governments, he said.
To a question if Tamil superstar Rajinikant will join the BJP, Shah said the decision has to be taken by the actor himself and his party welcomed all good people to its fold.
Ahead of the Modi government's third anniversary, he said it has won the people's trust and added that the poor have the belief that it was working for their welfare.
In a democracy the "biggest certificate is the people's verdict" and the masses have time and again underscored their support for the BJP-led NDA government, he said in a reference to the BJP's win in several state polls.
The Modi government has been able to rid the country of the politics of casteism, family rule and appeasement, and turned the focus on the politics of performance, he claimed.
While the UPA government was accused of scams running into Rs 12 lakh crore, even rivals of the NDA government have not levelled a single charge of corruption against it, Shah claimed.
Nanda, famously noted as 'Harihar Da' in the Sangh Parivar, was the one of the foremost campaigner of the RSS ideology in Odisha.
During his lifetime, Nanda served as the editor of Rastra Deep, an Odia weekly, chief of Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Jagaran. He had also served as the state general secretary from the regional unit of RSS in Odisha.
People from different walks of life expressed deep condolences on the death of the eminent leader. Noted personalities including BJP's national Vice-President Baijyant Panda visited Nanda's residence in the capital city to pay last respects to the departed soul. Union Minister and senior BJP leader Jual expressed also expressed grief over his demise.
Paid my last respects to Shri Harihar Nanda Ji, who passed away early this morning at the age of 85. He was a veteran @RSSorg worker, editor & leader in Odisha, widely respected across all sections of society.
Om Shanti ??? pic.twitter.com/V1Ytptatri— Baijayant Jay Panda (@PandaJay) March 11, 2019
"Nanda played a significant role in taking forward the RSS ideology in Odisha and was one of the founding members of party in the State," said Sameer Kumar Mohanty, Sanghachalak of RSS Odisha Purba Pranta.
During the high-pitch campaign that began from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh and concluded in Khargone in Madhya Pradesh, Modi also held four roadshows and finally appeared at a press conference where he did not answer any questions, attracting a lot of criticism.
The Prime Minister addressed the highest number of 29 rallies in UP, followed by 17 in Trinamool Congress-ruled West Bengal and 8 in BJD-ruled Odisha.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP had made a sweep in Uttar Pradesh, winning 71 out of 80 seats.
However, in West Bengal, it had bagged only 2 out of 42 seats and in Odisha, only one out of 21 seats.
In the current elections, the Prime Minister devoted ample time in campaigning in UP amid a sense in the BJP that it would not be easy for the party to repeat the performance of 2014 because of the alliance formed by arch rivals Samajwadi Party and BSP, along with RLD.
His greater thrust on personal campaign in West Bengal and Odisha is because of the intent of the BJP to improve its performance in these two states.
Although the BJP and the Prime Minister claim that West Bengal will help the party crossing 300-mark, a top BJP leader, on condition of anonymity, told IANS that the last ditch aggressive effort by the saffron party in West Bengal was to reach the majority mark.
"The party was hopeful of winning good number of seats (at least 60) in UP but it is not going to happen. Realising this, the party leadership went aggressive in West Bengal as there was a possibility of polarization against Mamata Banerjee's Muslim appeasement policy," the BJP leader said.
The BJP has been making determined efforts to make inroads in West Bengal and Odisha since the last two years with the help of RSS deputing leaders like Shiv Prakash, Saudan Singh and Arvind Menon.
After the Assembly results in the Hindi heartland states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan came as a major shock for the BJP, the party deputed more foot soldiers of RSS in these two states, a BJP leader privy to the development told IANS.
"The target set in these two states is at least 30," he said, adding that the Prime Minister's rallies were planned accordingly in these states as he could himself asses the ground situation.
Besides, these three states, Modi gave much importance to states like Bihar, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Gujarat, where he held 50 rallies altogether. These six states comprise 196 Lok Sabha seats, out of which the BJP won 150 on its own and 167 with allies 167 in the 2014 polls.
In 2014, the BJP made a clean sweep in Gujarat and Rajasthan, winning all the 26 and 25 Lok Sabha seats, respectively, and bagging 27 out of total 29 seats in Madhya Pradesh. In Karnataka, the BJP won 17 out of 28 seats.
The party contested with allies LJP (6) and RLSP (3) in Bihar and with Shiv Sena (18) in Maharashtra. Former Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha has now joined hands with mahagathbandhan in Bihar while Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal-United is back in NDA fold.
Sensing how crucial these states could be for the BJP, the Prime Minister devoted over 35 per cent time of his campaign. As allies like JD-U, LJP and Shiv Sena were there, the BJP used their leaders too to woo public support.
The Prime Minister addressed 8 rallies in North East states, four in Jharkhand, three each in Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana and Chhattisgarh, two each in Telangana, Uttarakhand, Himachal, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala. He addressed one rallies each in Goa and Delhi.
"Stone pelters in Kashmir, Bangladeshis pack your Bag. India has got new Sardar Patel as Home Minister @AmitShah," tweeted Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, spokesperson, BJP Delhi.
"Amit Shah is the new Home Minister! Beware all 'Tukde Tukde Gang', terrorists, Maoists and their supporters! Your dad is here... #HomeMinistry," wrote another Twitter user.
Memes mocking Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other opposition leaders also started doing the rounds on the social media.
While one person wondered if Kejriwal fell ill hearing the news of Shah becoming the Home Minister, someone else made a meme of fugitive Indian Islamic preacher Zakir Naik saying: "I love India. India is best..."
"Meet the new Home Minister of India. IB will directly report to him. AB HOGA NYAY," wrote one Twitter user.
"Mota Bhai is the new Home Minister of India. All those pseudo-liberals who wanted to leave India, now is the time," said another user.
"Amit Shah broke the back of terrorism in Gujarat as Home Minister. As union Home Minister, he'll take anti-corruption cases against Vadra, National Herald, Chidambarams & others to a quicker conclusion apart from handling Naxal & Pak terrorism, J&K & keeping an eye on the party," wrote journalist Minhaz Merchant.
Shah's new job also drew criticism. "Amit Shah is Home Minister. What a time to be alive," lamented columnist Mitali Saran.
"A few years ago, a bunch of tapes came out in public domain in which a man could be heard instructing Gujarat Police to stalk a woman. That man is now going to be a Union Minister of India. #NewIndia," Alt News Co-founder Pratik Sinha tweeted.
"That man is now the Home Minister of India. Achhe Din ahead for women safety and privacy," said Dalit rights activists Jignesh Mevani.
Called the "Chanakya" of modern day Indian politics, Shah became Modi a loyalist as both were associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) since their early days.
During his tenure as a minister in Gujarat, Shah held several portfolios including transport, police, housing, border security, civil defense, gram rakshak dal, Home Guards, prison, prohibition, excise, law and justice, parliamentary affairs and the coveted Home Ministry.
The ongoing meeting of the RSS in Jhansi has decided to penetrate into the territories where it does not have a strong presence.
Apparently preparing for the upcoming Assembly elections as well as the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the RSS will increase its activities in southern states such as Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and even Kerala.
"We will be holding ‘shakhas' in these states to enlist popular support. We want to reach out to the non-Hindi speaking population and clear misconceptions, if any, about the RSS. We are determined to break the language barrier and use our volunteers in these states to increase the number of ‘shakhas'," said a senior RSS functionary.
The Sangh wants to prepare the ground for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in states where it has not yet been able to form government and establish its political presence.
Interestingly, Kashmir figures prominently on the RSS wish list even though the Valley has minimal Hindu population.
"It is not about Hindus, it is about nationalism. We want to reach out to the local Kashmiri population and tell them that they belong to us. Nationalism is bigger than any religion and we will use this concept to connect with the youth in particular," the functionary said.
He said that the RSS was hopeful that it would succeed in building bridges in Kashmir and "clear the cobwebs that have grown in the past decades".
In the five-day meeting in Jhansi, which is being held at the S.R. Engineering College amidst tight security, Sangh leaders have also decided to lay greater focus on nationalism and cultural unity than on religious issues which could prove to be contentious in the prevailing situation.
The RSS has recently seen that the Narendra Modi-led government made a successful comeback by putting nationalism above religion in the recently concluded general elections.
The surety amount was provided by former Mumbai MP Eknath Gaikwad who accompanied him to the hearing.
Earlier, during the course of the short hearing, Gandhi pleaded 'not guilty' to the charges levelled against him by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker.
The case was filed by RSS worker Dhrutiman Joshi who accused Gandhi of linking the right-wing organization with the murder of Bengaluru-based journalist Gauri Lankesh in 2017.
In his plea filed in 2017, Joshi had contended that barely 24 hours after the Lankesh killing, Gandhi had posted tweets allegedly blaming the RSS and its ideology for the journalist's murder.
"For a mere political score, the accused (Gandhi) had unnecessarily dragged the name of RSS and it is a move to rake up negative sentiments in the minds of people against the RSS," Joshi's complaint said.
He added that statements made by the accused and the respective political parties are in utmost sense defamatory and belittle the RSS in the public eyes, which was a definite move by the accused to tarnish the image of RSS without any proof.
Gandhi's only engagement in Mumbai was to appear in the Sewree Metropolitan Magistrate Court before he returns to New Delhi, Mumbai Congress party chief Milind Deora told IANS.
This is the second petition filed by an RSS activist in Maharashtra against Rahul Gandhi, MP from Wayanad in Kerala.
In 2014, a local functionary, Rajesh Kunte had filed a plea against him for allegedly blaming the RSS for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. The case is pending in Bhiwandi Court in Thane.
A large number of Congress activists led by Deora, former city chief Sanjay Nirupam and other leaders welcomed Gandhi at the Mumbai Airport on his first visit to the city a day after he quit as party President.
Thousands more lined up enroute and outside the court in Mazagaon waving party flags and raising slogans, asking him to take back his resignation as Congress chief.
The issue was raised by Congress Legislature Party leader Narasingha Mishra during Zero Hour which was supported by the MLAs of his party apart from members of BJP and also ruling BJD.
Though the Odisha government last year decided to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi for two years from October 2, 2018, no such activities is being done, Mishra said alleging that the state government has apparently forgotten its earlier announcement.
Mishra said though a committee under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was formed for the celebration, the government has not taken up any such step to celebrate it in a big way.
"The committee held just one meeting and there was no other activity," he alleged.
The House, however, witnessed chaos when Mishra apparently targeted BJP on Mahatma Gandhi issue.
"There is a conspiracy to ensure that people forget Mahatma Gandhi. It is a matter of great concern that on Mahatma's death anniversary on January 30, bullets were fired at his photograph. On the other hand Mahatma's killer Nathuram Godse is being worshiped and his ideology boosted by a section of people in the party now ruling at the Centre," Mishra said.
BJP deputy leader B C Sethi demanded that Mishra's statement be expunged from the Assembly record.
"Mahatma Gandhi was killed by Nathuram Godse who belonged to Hindu Mahasabha which has nothing to do with RSS or the BJP. The ruling party at the Centre has highest regard for Mahatma Gandhi, Dr Ambedkar and other patriots," Sethi said.
The BJP leader demanded a full debate in the House to discuss Mahatma Gandhi's ideology. "We are ready for a debate.
No one should teach us (BJP) on patriotism and nationalism," Sethi said.
Sethi was supported by Leader of Opposition Pradipta Kumar Naik of BJP. He said: "We have not forgotten Mahatma Gandhi. Prime Minister has himself praised Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Ambedkar several times."
BJD members Debi Prasad Mishra, Amar Prasad Satpathy, Bhupinder Singh, Pradeep Maharathy and Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak also admitted that the celebration for Gandhi's 150th Birth Anniversary has not yet started in the state "The delay was mostly due to elections and other development," the BJD members said.
Debi Prasad Mishra said there should be a special session of the Assembly to discuss on Mahatma Gandhi's ideologies while Nayak claimed Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was the first leader in the country to demand inclusion of "Ahimsa" (non-violence) in the Preambles of the Indian Constitution.
Earlier, Nayak said the state government has already set up five sub-committees for the celebration of the anniversary in a grand manner.
It is proposed to conduct padayatras and memorial meetings across the state. Gandhiji's birth anniversary would be celebrated in schools, colleges, urban local bodies, blocks and gram panchayats. A new website will be opened to propagate the messages of Gandhiji, the ruling party members said.
Subrahmanyam, who had worked as Joint Secretary (PMO) with the Prime Minister earlier, was one of the key officials in Modi's Mission Kashmir. The entire task of Mission Kashmir was handed over to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who along with Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad was reviewing legal implications with a core team, which included Law & Justice Secretary Alok Srivastav, Additional Secretary Law (Home) R.S. Verma, Attorney General K.K. Venugopal, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba and his select team of Kashmir Division.
Before the beginning of the Budget Session, Shah had briefed Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat and his aide (General Secretary) Bhaiyaji Joshi about the Centre's determination to revoke Article 370 and subsequent bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two separate Union Territories.
After legal consultations, Shah focussed on the implications of the revocation of Article 370 on the valley's law and order situation. Sources close to Shah revealed that on the Prime Minister's suggestion Shah then had a couple of meetings with National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval.
The sources said that once Shah had reviewed the situation in Kashmir himself, Doval was sent to Srinagar to assess the situation from a security point of view.
The NSA camped there for three days. Then on July 26, the decision to curtail the Amarnath Yatra was taken. Later recall of all tourists from the valley was also suggested by the NSA. Apart from this, an additional 100 companies of the central paramilitary were also rushed as back-up to the prevailing security apparatus.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Subramanyam, who was in the loop with the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) was given the blueprint of several security measures to be taken on ground zero -- use of satellite phones by key police, paramilitary and administration officials; deployment of QRTs in sensitive urban and rural pockets across South Kasmir; and a high vigil at LoC by Army, apprehending mischief from across the border.
The Army chief, heads of intelligence agencies and Central Para Military Forces were also coordinating with the Union Home Secretary and Chief Secretary 24x7.
On the crucial night of August 4, Chief Secretary instructed Director General of Police (Jammu and Kashmir) Dilbagh Singh to take several preventive measures which included house arrest of key political leaders, snapping mobile and landline services, declaring Section 144 and preparing drill for clamping curfew in the valley.
Earlier, on the Delhi front, Shah had another key team set on the job, which included Rajya Sabha members like Anil Baluni and Bhupendra Yadav. The team was tasked to muster the support of fellow members of the august House, where BJP fell short of a majority.
The team which had engineered a major defection in TDP's Rajya Sabha members had managed Samajwadi Party MPs, Neeraj Shekhar, Surendra Nagar, Sanjay Seth, and Congress MP Sanjay Singh to quit the Rajya Sabha. Thus giving a big boost to the BJP in the upper House.
At the eleventh hour, the team also managed BSP leader Satish Mishra to support the move related to Article 370 and bifurcation of the state.
In the meantime, Amit Shah also had close door meetings with key journalists (having access in the MHA) to be balanced in reporting while touching highly sensitive issues, which have international implications. Shah's objective was to maintain top secrecy, till he introduces the Bill, and breaks the historical news on August 5, on the floor of Parliament itself.
Sources said that by August 2, Shah was confident that his party had enough support in the Rajya Sabha and would introduce the historical bill(of bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir) in the Upper House by Monday.
Subsequently, a whip was issued by the BJP instructing all members to remain in their respective House hinting them that important bills were expected to be passed.
Highly placed sources revealed that finally on the weekend, it was decided by Modi and Shah to convene a meeting of the Cabinet at the PM's residence on Monday, to disclose Mission Kashmir's objective to Ministers and pass a resolution thereof, prior to the proceedings of the House.
Similarly, the Ministry of Law and Justice was tasked for prompt issuance of notification by the President of India on the revocation of Article 370.
After Shah introduced the Bill amid chaos in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, a BJP MP reacted: "Shah's mission has never been defeated. He is the new Sardar (Vallabhbhai Patel)."
A bench comprising Justices S.A. Bobde and B.R. Gavai, however, refused to pass urgent order on his plea but assured him that the matter will be considered on the administrative side.
The bench, however, refused to give urgent hearing on the matter, saying it would require institutional decision and deliberation.
Appearing for Govindacharya, senior advocate Vikas Singh submitted that as there is a time constraint, and that if live-streaming is difficult, then recording of the proceeding may be taken up while a decision on transmission or live-streaming can be taken up later.
Govindacharya on Saturday moved the Supreme Court seeking live-streaming of the upcoming day-to-day proceedings in the Ayodhya case.
In his plea, Govindacharya has cited the Supreme Court's September 2018 judgement that ruled that SC proceedings must be live-streamed. Gupta said the ruling came on a petition moved by the Centre for Accountability and Systemic Change (CASC).
According to the petition, despite over a year later, the SC ruling was yet to be implemented.
Govindacharya in his petition said: "This case is a matter of national importance. There are crores of persons, including the petitioner, who want to witness the court proceedings, but cannot due to the present norms in the Supreme Court."
He said the people were desperate for early justice in the Ram temple matter as the Lord Ram idol had been kept for years in a makeshift tent in Ayodhya.
"This matter has been pending in the Supreme Court for the last nine years, and the public at large is interested in knowing the reasons behind the delay in deciding the cases," the petitioner said.
India on Monday asserted Kashmir was not a bilateral issue but an internal one as it scrapped the autonomy and the special status the region hitherto enjoyed. Pakistan has severely condemned this move and urged the international community to take note.
The banners were put up only a few hundred metres away from the Pakistani Parliament and Prime Minister Imran Khan's residence here.
"Akhand Bharat" or Undivided India envisions Pakistan and Bangladesh as part of India. It has been one of the main goals of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the Hindu-nationalist organisation that is also the ideological parent of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which stormed to power for a second term in India's general election in May. The banners carry the comments of Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut.
These banners were erected on electric poles on a busy road in front of the National Press Club in sector F6, right in the heart of Islamabad. They were reportedly put up before dawn and first spotted by the locals as they were heading to work.
Sajid Mahmood, a businessman, was among the first to spot them. He made a video and posted it on Twitter and Facebook. The two-minute-long video went viral and prompted law-enforcement agencies here to remove the posters immediately.
Superintendent of Police (City) Amir Khan Niazi told this correspondent the Capital Territory Police removed the banners and have launched an inquiry to find out who erected them.
A spokesperson for Chief Commissioner of Islamabad had said late on Tuesday that the media would be briefed when the culprits were identified.
The news about the banners sparked anger among the residents of Islamabad. They questioned how someone could manage to pull off such an act right in the heart of Islamabad.
"It's the failure of our law enforcement agencies, who couldn't intercept those erecting anti-state posters in the heart of Islamabad," said Sajid Ali, a resident of Sector F6 in Islamabad, where these banners were found.
Islamabad District Magistrate took note of the lapse and issued a show-cause notice to Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad, asking why it took them five hours to remove the banners.
When journalists reached the spot to take photographs of the banners, they were intercepted by the police. Police chased a few who managed to take footage of the banners and forced them to delete the videos.
"Police subjected senior journalists with torture that is unacceptable," the General Secretary of National Press Club Islamabad said on Tuesday evening. Police authorities suspended two policemen found guilty of thrashing the journalists.
Sources told this correspondent that the Prime Minister's Office too has taken note of the matter and asked the authorities to launch a thorough probe to trace the culprits.
Dawn newspaper earlier on Wednesday reported that police have arrested a suspect from Blue Area who is believed to have been responsible for having placed the banners. Initial interrogation revealed that the suspect was into printing business, and had received orders for those banners from a resident of Gujranwala.
Police have sealed his printing press in Islamabad and shifted him to an undisclosed location for further interrogation.
Rajnath Singh, who was addressing a public rally in Haryana's Kalka, said there would be no talks with Pakistan unless it acts against terrorists and stops supporting terror activities.
"If talks take place (with Pakistan), it will be on PoK and not on any other issue," he said.
Referring to scrapping of the provision granting special status to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution, Singh said the decision had sent jitters in Pakistan.
Addressing a meet organised by the BJP's J-K unit at party headquarters in Jammu, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said after the revocation of Article 370 provisions, people should now pray for the integration of PoK with India in their lifetime.
"We are lucky that it (revoking of the special status) happened in our lifetime. It is because of the sacrifices of our three generations," Singh, who is Minister of State for the Prime Minister's Office, said .
He said, "After this historic step, let us move forward with a positive thinking of freeing PoK from the illegal occupation of Pakistan and making it an integral part of the country in accordance with the unanimously passed resolution in Parliament (in 1994)."
"Let us pray that we see the integration of PoK with the country and people freely visit Muzaffarabad (capital of PoK)," he added.
Lashing out at Pakistan, Rajnath Singh said, "Now it is knocking every door and approaching various countries for help. Have we committed any crime? And they are trying to threaten us. However, America, perceived to be the most powerful country in the world by people, has snubbed Pakistan, telling them to initiate a dialogue with India," he said.
The minister said people in Pakistan say there should be talks between India and Pakistan.
"What's the issue on which there should be talks? Why should there be talks? If there would be any talks with Pakistan, it would happen only when Pakistan stops supporting terror from its soil," he asserted.
He said Pakistan wanted to destabilise and weaken India through terrorism.
"Pakistan wants to break our country by using terrorism. But our Prime Minister has shown that he has a 56-inch chest. He took a decision to give a befitting reply after the Pulwama terror attack as our Air Force carried out the Balakot strike," he said.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who remained in denial on Balakot strike, had recently said that India was planning a bigger strike than Balakot which meant he had admitted that the Balakot air strike took place and a large number of terrorists were eliminated, the defence minister said.
Hitting out at the Congress over the Rafale fighter jets issue, the Defence Minister said, "Had we got Rafale, our Air Force need not have gone to Balakot. We could have eliminated those terrorists from our land itself."
He said the government would purchase the Rafale jets soon.
The Union minister said that the Opposition used to claim that if anybody touched Article 370, the country would be divided and the BJP won't be able to come to power.
"I want to say it clearly that the BJP does not do politics for forming government. We do politics of nation building. Under no circumstances we will allow the prestige of our country to be tarnished," he said at the rally ahead of the flagging off the BJP's Jan Ashirwad Yatra for the October assembly polls in Haryana.
On the BJP election manifesto, Rajanth Singh said, "Our Prime Minister keeps telling us to remain committed to the promises made in the manifesto. 'Pran jaye par vachan na jaye'. We do not go back on what we have promised. We scrapped provisions of Article 370 and 35-A in J-K's interest, keeping in mind the future of its youths ," he said.
In a letter to Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport & Highways, the SJM has demanded regulation of surge pricing limits for taxi aggregators under Motor Vehicles Act 2019.
SJM's Ashwini Mahajan wrote, "It has been observed that the taxi aggregators, Uber and Ola who started activities in India in 2014-15 to provide lower cost and convenient taxi services, have started profiteering under the ambit of surge pricing. Just in the last two weeks, we received screen shots where a fare of Rs 2,000 was quoted in Mumbai for a 6-minute ride. This is outrageous and plain profiteering by these platforms."
Citing a recently released public survey, Mahajan claimed that consumers from across the country are facing "issues" with app-based taxi services like Uber and Ola.
Quoting from the survey, he claimed people want surge pricing to be capped at not higher than 25 per cent across the country. He also demanded, in case of ride cancellation by the taxi app company or the driver, Rs 100 or an amount equivalent to 20 per cent of the fare should be credited in the customer's account as a penalty.
He also raised objection against surge pricing on advance or scheduled bookings.
"It is our request that the taxi aggregator rules under Motor Vehicles Act 2019 are made keeping the above public interest in mind. If that is not done, it would be an unpopular move and we may risk the states coming up with their own rules and setting lower limits of surge pricing for taxi aggregators", warned Mahajan.
A copy of the letter is also marked to the Prime Minister and Finance Minister. Swadeshi Jagaran Manch has questioned and even protested many government policies in the past and yet continues to enjoy confidence of the RSS.
"The vision and proclamation of the Sangh regarding the identity of the nation, social identity of all of us, and the identity of the country's nature, are clear, well-thought-of and firm that Bharat is Hindustan, Hindu Rashtra," Bhagwat said while speaking at the foundation day celebrations at Maharashtra's Nagpur.
"Those who belong to Bharat, those who are descendants of Bharatiya ancestors, those who are working for the ultimate glory of nation and joining hands in enhancing peace, respecting and welcoming all diversities, all those Bharatiyas are Hindus," the RSS chief said adding that the Sangh has no objection if some people address the Bharatiya as "Indic".
"We have found through our experience that in the entire country and world-over, the content that we wish to express regarding our nation's civilization and culture is best expressed through the word 'Hindu'," he said.
"There is diversity in customs, mode of worship, food habits, lifestyle, state, language but our society is one. This feeling of affinity and inclusiveness is the consciousness of the nation. That is Hindutva. This is the base of Sangh (RSS) work."
He also said that some incidents of violence such as lynchings were actually being raised to defame India, Hindu society and create fear among some communities.
The RSS members do not get involved and rather they try to stop it, the RSS chief said adding that the kind of harmony that should have been in the society is still not there.
He also said that the RSS is trying to thwart such violent incidents. Such incidents have had no tradition in the country, but there are efforts to portray them as so and by using terms like lynchings, they want to malign the country and the Hindu society.
He further added that certain elements of society are trying to divide the country. They want to create a fight between communities by dragging the Sangh's name in such incidents. Attempts are being made by vested interests to create distrust, fear and hostility among sections who have not yet come in contact with the Sangh.
Bhagwat said that diversity is an intrinsic strength of the nation. But the diversity of caste, creed, language and region are being used by vested interests to separate one from another, turning them into differences, imposing fabricated identities on manufactured separations.
He said that for the last nine decades, the RSS has been working for creating "ekatmata" (unity), "sadbhavana" (goodwill), "sadacharan" (good conduct) and "sadvyavahar" (good behaviour) in the society, and a clear vision and devotion towards the nation.
He said that whatever the difference of opinion, howsoever provocative actions might have taken place, society must act by remaining within the limits of the Constitution and repose faith in the police and the judicial system.
The RSS chief hailed the Centre for the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. He said that the move of the government to nullify the Article has once again proved that it has the courage to fulfill the expectations and respect people's sentiments and wishes in the interest of society.
Speaking on the economic situation in the country, Bhagwat said that the international effects can be felt here also. The trade tussle between the US and China is going to affect all countries.
"The right approach is to prepare the best person who can play an important role in changing the society and transform the country as it will not be possible to change the 130 crore people in it," Bhagwat told while addressing a meeting of intellectuals in Bhubaneswar. Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Pratap Sarangi, BJP National President Baijayant Panda, Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi and several other state-level leaders of the BJP attended the meeting.
“It is important to bring in change in the society so that the fate of the country improves and it is necessary to prepare the best person - someone with a clean character and capable of taking the lead "in every street and town," the RSS chief said.
Individuals, he said, are insignificant before the society and it is important to create proper conditions which will pave the way for nation building.
"When Jews were wandering, India was the nation where they got shelter. The Parsis are safe and they practice their religion freely only in India. The happiest Muslims in the world are found in India, thanks to the Hindu culture," Bhagwat added.
When Jews were wandering, India was the nation where they got shelter. Parsis are safe & they practice their religion freely only in India. The happiest Muslims in the world are found in India, thanks to the Hindu culture: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in #Bhubaneswar #Odisha (Oct 12) pic.twitter.com/92DFsaRCSu
— OTV (@otvnews) October 13, 2019
Bhagwat arrived here Saturday on a nine-day tour of Odisha. During the visit, he is scheduled to attend the maiden meeting of the Akhil Bharatiya Karyakari Mandal in Odisha, along with Bhayaji Joshi, the second-in-command in the RSS. Around 400 representatives of the RSS will participate in the event. RSS working committee meeting will be held from October 16-18 at a private university here.
The meeting, held at the residence of Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, was attended by RSS leaders Krishna Gopal and Ramlal, former Union minister Shahnawaz Hussain, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind general secretary Mahmood Madani, Shia cleric Kalbe Jawad and filmmaker Muzaffar Ali.
"A historic dialogue was held today in which Muslim intellectuals and clerics participated. At the meeting, it was stressed that all efforts should be made to strengthen the unity and brotherhood in the country under all circumstances," Naqvi told reporters after the meeting.
"Kahin par bhi jeet ka junooni jashn aur haar ka hahakaari hungama nahin hona chahiye, usse bachna chahiye (Nowhere, the verdict should be excessively celebrated as a victory, nor there should be a brouhaha over the defeat. We should completely avoid this)," he said.
Hussain said it was unanimously agreed at the meeting that the Supreme Court verdict on Ayodhya will be acceptable to all.
"This verdict will strengthen the country. A message of unity has gone out with today's meeting. This dialogue (between the RSS leaders and Muslims) that has started will not stop and meetings between the Sangh representatives and the Muslim community will continue in future as well," he added.
The meeting is seen as part of efforts by the RSS and the BJP to reach out to the Muslim community and send out a message of peace and harmony.
According to sources, RSS leader Gopal asked those present in the meeting whether it was imperative that Muslims lead Muslims and Hindus lead Hindus.
"Why can't a Hindu lead a Muslim and a Muslim lead a Hindu?" he asked.
Asserting that inclusivity has been India's tradition, Gopal was quoted as saying at the meeting that in the entire history of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), none of its chiefs have ever uttered a single word against the Muslim community.
Ramlal was quoted as saying that despite different religions, the mindset should be "nation first".
The entire community should not be blamed for the act of a single person belonging to a particular community, Ramlal was quoted as saying at the meeting.
"A statement from a person should not been seen as a statement of an entire organisation," he added.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Jawad said it was decided at the meeting that appeals should be made that the verdict should be respected by all.
"Those who win should not get overexcited and the same goes for those who end up on the losing side. It should not be seen as victory or defeat," he said.
It was also suggested that another meeting should take place which should include other Hindu groups such as the Vishva Hindu Parishad and the Shiv Sena, he said.
Filmaker and artist Muzaffar Ali said: "Today the economics of the country is so bad, if things go wrong and the people enter into any kind of communal disturbance, the economy will be very badly shattered."
"It is a very good initiative, dialogue is very important," Ali said, hailing Naqvi's initiative.
Aligarh Muslim University Vice Chancellor Tariq Mansoor, who also attended the meeting, later told reporters that people should not make provocative statements, and appealed for being careful on social media.
Those present at the meeting expressed commitment to strengthen and protect the fabric of the socio-communal harmony, brotherhood and unity of the country under all circumstances, Naqvi said, adding that "unity in diversity is our cultural commitment".
Others present during the meeting included All India Muslim Personal Law Board member Kamal Faruqui, former MP Shahid Siddiqui, , former Haj Committee chairman Qaiser Shamim, JNU professor Abdul Nafey and All India Sufi Sajjada Nashin Council chairman Syed Nasiruddin Chishti.
The Supreme Court is expected to give its ruling in the emotive and politically-sensitive Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case before November 17 as Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, who is heading the Constitution bench in the matter, demits office that day.
A special CBI court in Lucknow finally gave its verdict on Wednesday in the Babri Masjid demolition on December 6, 1992, acquitting all the 32 accused, including former Deputy Prime Minister and senior BJP leader LK Advani, former Union Minister Murli Manohar Joshi, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh and BJP leaders Uma Bharti and Vinay Katiyar.
Read More: Babri Demolition Case: Special Court Acquits All Accused
Reacting to the verdict, Rajnath Singh said, "Lucknow Special Court pronounced verdict in the Babri structure demolition case which states that none of the 32 people, including L.K. Advani, Kalyan Singh, Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti was found to be part of a conspiracy in demolishing the Babri Masjid structure. This decision proves that though justice came late but it triumphed."
"Today once again truth has won. Hailing the Indian judiciary, we welcome the decision of the court," Shivraj Singh Chouhan said in Bhopal.
"The then Congress government had falsely accused our saints, sages and BJP leaders, motivated by prejudice," he added.
All the charges, he added, have been found to be baseless with the truth revealed now. We welcome the decision of the court.
Reacting to the court's decision, RSS Sarkaryawah Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi said in New Delhi, "The RSS welcomes the decision of the CBI Special Court to acquit all accused in the controversial Babri structure demolition case. After this decision, all sections of the society should come together with mutual trust and harmony and get involved in the progress of the country."
Also Read: Babri Demolition Verdict Today, High Alert In UP
The hearing in the case had been going on for the last 28 years. The court said the demolition was not pre-planned. Only photographs of the accused at the disputed site do not constitute evidence of their involvement in the alleged crime, said the Court presided by special Judge S.K. Yadav while acquitting all the 32 accused.
(IANS)
According to an RSS functionary, he was suffering from some minor cough and cold issues and underwent an RT-PCR test.
After the report came Covid-19 positive, he was admitted to the Kingsway Hospital on Friday.
Incidentally, the 70-year-old Bhagwat – who had taken his first dose of Covid-19 vaccine on March 7 – is responding well to the treatment and his condition is described as stable.
Currently, Nagpur – the state’s second capital is amongst the worst-hit Corona hotspots in the state besides Mumbai and Pune in the ongoing ferocious second wave of the pandemic.
The meeting will be held on November 25 and 26, which will be attended by top functionaries of RSS from Odisha, West Bengal and Andaman and Nicobar. As many as 35 top office bearers from the three regions will take part in the meeting.
The RSS head will review the welfare activities undertaken by the 'Swayamsevak' during the coronavirus pandemic situation.
The meeting will also feature livelihood of people, education and health care during the pandemic.
Annual calendar for 2021, programmes and training for the swayamsevaks will also be finalised in the meeting.
Organisational activities like plans of expansion and training of karyakartas will also be a part of the meeting. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the RSS chief has no public engagement or meeting during his visit to the State, sources said.
Several issues, including the crisis caused by COVID- 19, were discussed on the first day of the Akhil Bharatiya Karyakari Mandal meeting of the RSS that kicked off in Bhubaneswar with Bhagwat reviewing the role played by the 'swayamsevaks' from the region in minimising the hardships of the people, sources said.
The meeting, scheduled to conclude on Thursday, is being attended by top functionaries of RSS from Odisha, West Bengal, Sikkim, besides Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
As many as 35 top office bearers from the region are participating in the meeting. This year the meetings are being held in the respective regions instead of a single gathering in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"During the day-long deliberations, Bhagwat patiently listened to the functionaries who gave a detailed account of the work done by the 'swayamsevaks' during the pandemic. The various welfare measures taken by our volunteers during the crisis were highlighted," a source said.
The meeting was informed about the sufferings of the migrant workers in different parts of the country during the lockdown caused by the pandemic, the sources said, adding that most of the migrants who returned to their native places following the loss of jobs faced uncertainties in their home states as well.
The meeting discussed ways and means of ensuring proper rehabilitation of the migrant workers by creating job opportunities for them, they said.
"The participants also examined how RSS can contribute towards lessening the hardship of the migrant workers in different parts of the country," another source said.
The functionaries also took note of the fact that various activities of RSS, including the holding of 'shakhas', were affected by the pandemic.
"The RSS chief, who took stock of the situation and heard the functionaries during the deliberations, is likely to make his remarks on the concluding day of the annual meeting on Thursday, the source said.
Issues relating to the education and healthcare during the pandemic also figured during the meeting, the sources said.
During the annual meeting, the RSS chief reviews the previous year's plan implementation, achievements and sharing of experiences.
Programmes, activities and training for the 'swayamsevaks' or volunteers for the next year will also be finalised in the meeting. Organisational activities such as plans for expansion and training of workers will also be discussed.
The RSS chief has no public engagement, meeting, or interaction during his visit as a precaution in the wake of the COVID-19 restrictions. All deliberations are being held closed-door.
While the participants have undergone COVID-19 tests, precautions such as wearing of masks, social distancing and hygiene are being strictly followed during the event, the sources said.
(With PTI Inputs)
Bhagwat, 70, called on Chakraborty at his bungalow in suburban Madh area of Malad west, fuelling theories of the star's comeback to active politics after a five-year hiatus.
However, the actor scotched all rumours of his return to politics but added that Bhagwat, whom he recently met in Uttar Pradesh, had paid him a return visit. Earlier, the duo also met in Nagpur, where the RSS headquarters are located.
The duo spent close to two hours at the Chakraborty residence in the presence of the actor's entire family, though it is not known what may have exactly transpired in the morning 'chai pe charcha'.
However, after giving a warm send-off to Bhagwat, the 70-year-old bearded dancing-cum-action star, sporting a dark woollen cap, firmly dismissed all rumours of his possible return to politics in a soft tone.
The acclaimed actor gently added that Bhagwat, whom he met in Uttar Pradesh last October, had paid him a return visit. Earlier, the duo had also met in Nagpur, where the RSS headquarters are located.
"Do not speculate, I and Bhagwat have a spiritual connect. We had met in Lucknow and I had requested him to visit me whenever he visited Mumbai," Chakraborty said.
Engaging in a light friendly banter with mediapersons thronging outside his bungalow, close to the Arabian Sea in a cool green corner of north-west Mumbai, the actor revealed that "Bhagwat-ji is very fond of my family" and had promised to visit him whenever he would come to Mumbai.
To persistent queries about ending his 'political sanyas', Chakraborty laughed mischievously and said: "You are linking (this) because of the (West Bengal) elections. If there were no elections, you wouldn't..!"
Saying a determined 'nyet' to politics, Mithun Da -- as he is popular among his fans and admirers -- said he would love to work with the poor but prefer to keep off any politicking.
Reported to be close to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Chakraborty is a former All India Trinamool Congress Party (AITCP) Rajya Sabha MP, but had quit in 2016 on health grounds.
Nevertheless, Mithun Da, a Bengali, remains immensely dear to the masses in his home state with which he maintains strong links, albeit apolitical.
An RSS functionary in Mumbai endorsed the actor's stance, stating that "the meeting was purely private in nature and nothing more should be attached to it."
Interestingly, the Bhagwat-Chakraborty rendezvous, with tight police security, comes ahead of the Election Commission of India's plans to announce the much-anticipated West Bengal Assembly elections.
A former All India Trinamool Congress Party Rajya Sabha MP, who quit in 2016, Chakraborty hails from West Bengal and remains popular among the masses in his home state.