Former President and Congress veteran Pranab Mukherjee visited on Thursday the birthplace of the RSS founding Sarsanghachalak, Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, ahead of his much-anticipated speech at the Sangh headquarters in Nagpur.
Mukherjee was welcomed by the RSS chief, Mohan Bhagwat. TV news channels beamed visuals of Mukherjee visiting Hedgewar's birthplace.
News agency ANI tweeted a photograph showing Mukherjee's message in the visitors' book that called Hedgewar "a great son of Mother India".
The Congress tweeted what it called a "primer" on what the RSS stood for.
Today is a very fitting day to bring you all a primer on what the RSS really stands for. pic.twitter.com/m1oQ15nkDJ
— Congress (@INCIndia) June 7, 2018
Mukherjee, who reached Nagpur Wednesday evening, has been invited by the RSS to address its Shiksha Varg.
According to sources, his visit to pay tributes to Hedgewar was not part of the itinerary and an impromptu decision was taken by the former president.
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At the RSS headquarters, Mukherjee met senior Sangh functionaries and attended a parade by Sangh workers, who completed training at the camp.
It is an annual training camp, meant for swayamsevaks in their third year in the organisation. The RSS holds training camps for first, second and third-year swayamsewaks.
Nagpur: Former President Pranab Mukherjee arrives at Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) founder KB Hedgewar's birthplace, welcomed by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. pic.twitter.com/QY1QguMNDV
— ANI (@ANI) June 7, 2018