RSS denies meeting, but media reports confirm it
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – In a somewhat unusual development, former Chief Justice of India, Sharad Arvind Bobde called on the RSS chief, Mohan Bhagwat, at the organisation’s headquarters in Nagpur on Tuesday, August 31.
Justice (Retd) Bobde, who is originally from Nagpur, and had practised for several years in the city, reportedly met Bhagwat sometime between 4:00 and 5:00 PM. This was his first formal visit to the RSS headquarters.
However, the RSS denied media reports of any such meeting. The reports also said that Justice (Retd) Bobde, paid a visit to the ancestral home of founder of the RSS, K B Hedgewar, in Nagpur.
Justice (Retd) Bobde retired from the post of Chief Justice of India on April 23.
His predecessor, Ranjan Gogoi, who had retired on November 16, 2019, exactly a week after November 9, 2019 judgement on Babri Masjid, became a member of Rajya Sabha. He was nominated by President Ram Nath Kovind to the Upper House of Parliament on March 17, 2020. Gogoi’s nomination had generated huge controversy.
Though, apparently there is nothing surprising in any such meeting between a former CJI and the RSS chief, yet political observers are keeping a close watch on this development because of some obvious reasons.
It has already drew public attention. Journalist Saurav Das on Tuesday evening claimed in a tweet that “Indian Express was forced to delete” the report.
So the Indian Express was forced to delete this article? “Journalism of courage” much? pic.twitter.com/ssvjen0WDq
— Saurav Das (@OfficialSauravD) August 31, 2021
On Wednesday morning, he reported through another tweet that it’s back. “It’s back again! Published this morning 🙂 @IndianExpress. what changed? There has been no (significant) change bw yday’s and today’s article,” Das said.
It’s back again! Published this morning 🙂 @IndianExpress what changed? There has been no (significant) change bw yday’s and today’s article. https://t.co/t2ZtKUttyy
— Saurav Das (@OfficialSauravD) September 1, 2021
It needs to be mentioned that the then President (now late) Pranab Mukherjee, had on June 7, 2018 visited the RSS headquarters in Nagpur to address a function. In his speech, he had called Hedgewar a ‘great son of mother India’. Several Congress leaders had then expressed their reservations over his acceptance of the invitation from RSS. In 2019, Mukherjee was conferred with Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award along with late BJP veteran Nanaji Deshmukh and late singer Bhupen Hazarika.
