Opposition leaders snub Mohan Bhagwat’s RSS event, deny receiving invite

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat - January 2018

Top Opposition leaders are unlikely to attend the three-day lecture series organised by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Delhi, according to a report by News18.

The lecture series, which will be addressed by RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat on the theme 'Future of Bharat: An RSS perspective', will begin on September 17 at Vigyan Bhawan in the national capital.

Bhagwat will interact with the audience comprising of prominent citizens, representatives from industries, media and other sectors and envoys from different countries.

Report had earlier suggested that the organisers would invite heads of all national political parties with a request to attend the lecture series along with four to five other party members. This included Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury.

Such reports were denied by opposition parties. Congress called the reports of Rahul Gandhi being invited as "fake news".

Asked about the invitation, Congress Spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, "RSS and BJP have been spreading this fake news for a while regarding sending invites as if it was some kind of a medal of honour."

"No such invite has been received by the Congress party and it is not a medal of honour. Their inherently hate-filled agenda is known to one and all," Surjewala added.

Samajwadi Party (SP) Chief Akhilesh Yadav also denied being invited. Yechury said he was travelling and that they had not recieved an invitation from from the RSS.

On day one, Bhagwat will speak about the Sangh’s organisation, ideology, vision, activities and programmes. On the second day, Bhagwat will express his views on various contemporary issues of national significance, including reservation, communalism and Hindutva. Bhagwat is expected to take questions from the audience during the event.