Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde Wednesday visited the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters and the memorial of the outfit’s founder K.B. Hedgewar in Nagpur, calling it a place from where he draws “energy and inspiration”.
After the visit, he said that his government will take a decision on whether to have a caste census after seeking the opinion of every stakeholder. The statement came a day after an RSS functionary said there should be no caste census as it will hurt national unity.
Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Shinde talked about how he takes inspiration from the RSS founder to serve people and the country. In the same breath, he hailed the Hindutva ideology of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, the work of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the administrative ideals of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
“After coming here one feels a sense of peace. It is a very good atmosphere. I get energy and inspiration after coming here,” Shinde said, adding that he had visited the memorial last year too when the winter session of the Maharashtra legislature was underway in Nagpur.
Responding to questions on whether the Hindutva agenda is likely to play a major role in next year’s Lok Sabha election, the CM said, “Do you think there’s any politics in coming here? We have formed the government with the ideology of Hindutva, with the thoughts of Balasaheb Thackeray. Our Hindutva is one of development. Our honourable PM Modi also says develop this country taking everyone along.”
Shinde’s visit to the RSS founder’s memorial comes at a time when three parties — the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) — are jostling for space in the ruling coalition. The visit is also significant as it comes ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha and Maharashtra assembly polls, for which the three allies will soon start working on a power-broking formula. The RSS is considered to be the BJP’s ideological parent.
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‘Seva bhav’
On social media platform X, the CM posted a 35-second video of himself going to the Hedgewar memorial, as well as the memorial of the RSS’s second sarsanghchalak (chief) M.S. Golwalkar, offering rose petals and bowing before them with folded hands.
आद्य सरसंघचालक पूजनीय डॉ. हेडगेवार आणि द्वितीय सरसंघचालक पूजनीय गोळवलकर गुरूजी स्मृती मंदिर भेट.#RSS #Nagpur
🗓️ 20-12-2023 📍नागपूर pic.twitter.com/EbdGrB16gt
— Eknath Shinde – एकनाथ शिंदे (@mieknathshinde) December 20, 2023
Shinde called the memorial a site of “seva bhav (a sentiment of service)”.
“Dr Hedgewar has always given this message that serve the public, serve the country. Instead of what we got, what are we giving the country…should be our ideology and we are taking this ideology forward as per the ideals of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj,” Shinde said to reporters.
Taking a dig at former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, Shinde also said that his own government is a common man’s government that is accessible to everyone.
“Even a common man can meet the CM. This accessibility is the major differentiator of our government. This is a common man’s government. I also work like a common man so people love me, they love my government,” he said.
Caste census
A day before Shinde’s visit, ministers and legislators of his Shiv Sena and the BJP visited the RSS headquarters and the memorials of Hedgewar and Golwalkar. Significantly, members of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, which joined the Shinde government in July, skipped the visit to the two memorials.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines, RSS functionary Shridhar Gadge had said Tuesday a caste census, which the opposition Congress has been strongly demanding, may bring political benefit to some as it will provide data about the population of certain castes, but it won’t be good socially and for national unity.
Shinde Wednesday said, “We keep trying that the harmony and law and order are not disturbed. We will take the opinions of all communities (about an all caste census) and take an appropriate decision keeping the public sentiment in mind.”
Earlier, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis had also reportedly said that he is not opposed to the idea of a caste census.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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