Pravin Togadia, Mohan Bhagwat decide to work together to ‘unite’ Hindus

Dr. Pravin Togadia with RSS chief

Right-wing leader Pravin Togadia appears to have buried the hatchet with the Sangh Parivar and has agreed to work with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to "unite Hindus".

Togadia had unceremoniously resigned as the international working president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in 2018.

On Sunday, after a gap of six years, Togadia visited the RSS headquarters and held detailed discussions with Bhagwat.

According to a report in The New Indian Express, the two leaders delved into a broad range of topics including Hindutva, women empowerment and other pressing issues.

Togadia also raised the issue of Hindus “not trusting anyone politically”, adding that “this needs to be checked."

Togadia, a staunch Hindutva champion, resigned from his post in VHP after his relationship with the Sangh Parivar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi soured.

He served in the VHP for 35 years and was a key player in the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) rise in Gujarat.

An open critic of the Prime Minister, Togadia founded the Antarashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP) after leaving the RSS.

In an exclusive conversation with The New Indian Express, Togadia said: "Both the RSS chief and I decided it was time to meet, so we did in Nagpur on Dussehra. Our meeting wasn't prompted by any intermediary, reason, or political agenda. The RSS and I have been working on the same issues. During our discussions, I had extensive talks with the Sangh chief on Hindutva, particularly the situation of Hindus in Bangladesh."

Speaking on the Ram temple issue, the former RSS leader stated that he congratulated the Sangh chief on the progress of the Ram temple and the construction of the temple has united the Hindu community, which had previously been divided along caste lines.

Togadia said that in addition to Hindutva, the Sangh chief and he also discussed women's safety and initiatives to train women to become strong, empowered citizens. "We delved into health-related matters and other national issues as well. Since both our organizations and the RSS are focused on Hindutva, there is potential for collaboration on certain fronts in the future," he said.