Her letter identifies herself as a staunch Ambedkarite and said she won’t participate in the Amravati Mahanagar event scheduled for October 5
NEW DELHI – The mother of Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai has refuted reports claiming that she had agreed to attend a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) function. She dismissed the claims as “false” and alleged that they were part of a conspiracy orchestrated by the organisation and its sympathisers in the media.
In a letter purportedly written by Kamaltai Gavai, she has denied media reports that she plans to attend the RSS-organised events marking Vijayadashami and the organisation’s centenary saying that she is a “staunch Ambedkarite” and hence would not attend the event.
She categorically denied both accepting the invitation and any association with the organisation.
Several news channels had previously reported that Kamaltai would attend the RSS event. However, in her letter, Kamaltai reportedly dismissed these claims as a “conspiracy” and “completely false” news spread by the RSS.
The letter, circulated in the media on Sunday, stated that she identified herself as a staunch Ambedkarite and would, therefore, not participate in the RSS’s Amravati Mahanagar event scheduled for October 5.
The authenticity of the letter, however, remains unverified till now as Kamaltai Gavai did not respond to phone call by media outlet, The Wire.
The controversy deepened when Kamaltai Gavai’s other son, Rajendra Gavai, later released a video saying his mother would attend the October 5 event. He reportedly said the Gavai family maintains relationships across parties and ideologies, but that did not mean they subscribe to them.
Rajendra said his mother had accepted the invitation to attend the Amravati event, which he noted was separate from the main RSS function in Nagpur on October 2. “Besides, personal relationships and political relationships are two different things. It does not mean attending an RSS event, leaving our Ambedkarite ideology behind. This is not the case. We strongly believe in our ideology,” he said.
Rajendra also said that some people, unhappy with his brother’s elevation as Chief Justice of India, were spreading false information about the family. “But the Gavai family has respected every person, even though he or she belongs to a different ideology. We respect all religions,” The New India Express quoted him as saying.
According to reports, Kamaltai Gavai’s name appeared on the invitation card that was printed and distributed. After criticism from Dalit, progressive and secular groups, it was clarified that the name was included without her consent.
The invitation shows how desperate the RSS has become to project its reach, given the sensitivities around the judiciary’s independence and the longstanding criticism of attempts to draw the judiciary closer to the ruling party’s ideological mentor.
The RSS has so far not issued an official response to the controversy.
