Eknath Shinde recalls early association with RSS as he visits Smruti Mandir in Nagpur

Dy CM Shinde at the RSS memorial in Nagpur. Pic/X@mieknathshinde

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said he was associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) since childhood as he recounted memories during his visit to the memorial of RSS founder Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar and second chief Madhav S Golwalkar in Nagpur on Thursday morning.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Shinde, and their respective parties' MLAs together visited the memorial and attended a workshop by RSS functionaries at Reshimbagh in Nagpur, where they are attending the winter session of the state legislature.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislators, barring Raju Karemore and Rajkumar Badole, skipped the visit. All Mahayuti MLAs were invited to the Smruti Mandir for an intellectual discussion. The ideological parent of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be celebrating its 100th foundation day next year.

Speaking at the memorial, Shinde said RSS worked to unite society. "For 100 years, the Sangh has continually worked for the nation. It unites, it doesn't divide. You will always find an RSS member helping out people in times of calamity. The ideology of the RSS and Shiv Sena is the same. Those willing to serve society selflessly should be part of the Sangh Parivar," Shinde said.

The Smruti Mandir, which immortalises Hedgewar and Golwalkar, was a ‘holy place' that inspired and motivated, said Shinde. "I have known the Sangh since childhood. I take pride in my roots. Next year, the Sangh Parivar will celebrate 100 years. It is a significant milestone," the Dy CM said, adding that he used to attend the Sangharsh Shakha in his childhood and later joined the Shiv Sena.

The political delegation also included Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, Deputy Chairperson of State Council Neelam Gorhe, and several BJP and Shinde-led Shiv Sena ministers and MLAs. Deepak Tamshettiwar, Vidarbha's prant pracharak (full-time RSS workers), and other Sangh Parivar members briefed them about how the RSS functioned as a social organisation.

This was not the first time that the BJP and Sena MLAs have visited the Smruti Mandir together and paid homage to the Sangharsh founder and successor during their stay for the winter session of the state legislature. The Sena, together with the BJP, has been part of this initiative since 2022, the year Shinde rebelled to break away from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena.

Though his party boss and seniors skipped the event, NCP's Karemore, who attended, said it was his personal decision to be there to pay tribute to the Sangh's great personalities. He said his party had not issued any directive, but he, among others, was invited. His party colleague Rajkumar Badole is originally a BJP-RSS affiliate who was encouraged to contest the recent election on the NCP ticket.