Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde Wednesday visited the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters and the memorial of the outfit’s founder Okay.B. Hedgewar in Nagpur, calling it a spot from the place he attracts “energy and inspiration”.
After the go to, he stated that his authorities will take a call on whether or not to have a caste census after in search of the opinion of each stakeholder. The assertion got here a day after an RSS functionary stated there must be no caste census as it’s going to damage nationwide unity.
Talking to reporters in Nagpur, Shinde talked about how he takes inspiration from the RSS founder to serve individuals and the nation. In the identical breath, he hailed the Hindutva ideology of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, the work of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the executive beliefs 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 stated, including that he had visited the memorial final 12 months too when the winter session of the Maharashtra legislature was underway in Nagpur.
Responding to questions on whether or not the Hindutva agenda is more likely to play a significant function in subsequent 12 months’s Lok Sabha election, the CM stated, “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 go to to the RSS founder’s memorial comes at a time when three events — the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering (BJP), the Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Social gathering (NCP) — are jostling for house within the ruling coalition. The go to can be vital because it comes forward of subsequent 12 months’s Lok Sabha and Maharashtra meeting polls, for which the three allies will quickly begin engaged on a power-broking system. The RSS is taken into account to be the BJP’s ideological mum or dad.
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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, in addition to the memorial of the RSS’s second sarsanghchalak (chief) M.S. Golwalkar, providing rose petals and bowing earlier than them with folded palms.
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 referred to as the memorial a website 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 stated to reporters.
Taking a dig at former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, Shinde additionally stated that his personal authorities is a typical man’s authorities that’s accessible to everybody.
“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 stated.
Caste census
A day earlier than Shinde’s go to, ministers and legislators of his Shiv Sena and the BJP visited the RSS headquarters and the memorials of Hedgewar and Golwalkar. Considerably, members of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, which joined the Shinde authorities in July, skipped the go to to the 2 memorials.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines, RSS functionary Shridhar Gadge had stated Tuesday a caste census, which the opposition Congress has been strongly demanding, might carry political profit to some as it’s going to present knowledge in regards to the inhabitants of sure castes, nevertheless it gained’t be good socially and for nationwide unity.
Shinde Wednesday stated, “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 additionally reportedly stated that he’s not against the concept of a caste census.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
Additionally Learn: Regardless of Jarange-Patil’s ‘deadline’, Shinde says particular session to debate Maratha quota in February