PM Modi pays tribute to RSS founder alongside Mohan Bhagwat in Nagpur

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 30 paid tributes at the memorials dedicated to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar and second sarsanghchalak (chief) M S Golwalkar during his Nagpur visit.

The prime minister was seen paying tributes at Dr Hedgewar Smruti Mandir and the administrative headquarters of the RSS in Nagpur accompanied by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, current chief of the organization Mohan Bhagwat and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.

Taking to X, PM Modi wrote, “Visiting Smruti Mandir in Nagpur is a very special experience. Making today’s visit even more special is the fact that it has happened on Varsha Pratipada, which is also the Jayanti of Param Pujya Doctor Sahab.”

“Countless people like me derive inspiration and strength from the thoughts of Param Pujya Doctor Sahab and Pujya Guruji. It was an honour to pay homage to these two greats, who envisioned a strong, prosperous and culturally proud Bharat,” the post further read.

He also met with RSS staff in the Smruti Bhavan located at the memorial and took group pictures with them.

“The memorials are dedicated to the values of Indian culture, nationalism and the organisation,” PM Modi wrote in Hindi in a message book at the venue.

"The memorial of the two strong pillars of RSS is an inspiration to lakhs of swayamsevaks who have dedicated themselves to the service of the nation," the PM said in his message.

"I am overwhelmed to visit the Smruti Mandir which cherishes the memories of Param Pujaniya Dr Hedgewar and Pujya Guruji," he added.

This was the first visit by PM Modi at the memorial after becoming the prime minister which coincided with the Sangh's Pratipada program marking Gudi Padwa, the beginning of the Hindu New Year.

Meanwhile, PM Modi also visited Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur, where Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar embraced Buddhism along with his followers in 1956.

PM Modi is set to lay the foundation stone for the Madhav Netralaya Premium Center, an extension of the Madhav Netralaya Eye Institute and Research Centre, featuring a 250-bed hospital, 14 OPDs, and 14 modular operation theatres.

He will then visit Solar Defense and Aerospace Limited's ammunition facility to inaugurate a 1,250-metre-long, 25-metre-wide airstrip for UAVs and launch a live munition and warhead testing facility for Loitering Munition and other guided weapons.

Later, he will travel to Chhattisgarh to lay the foundation stone for development projects worth over ₹33,700 crore in power, oil and gas, rail, road, education, and housing sectors.