In first as PM, Modi to visit RSS founder’s memorial in Nagpur today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Nagpur on Sunday for a packed visit that includes a significant stop at the RSS headquarters — his first since becoming Prime Minister — and a tribute to Dr B R Ambedkar at Deekshabhoomi. The visit comes amid ongoing efforts to reset ties between the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

The Prime Minister will mark his presence at the Dr Hedgewar Smruti Mandir in the Reshimbagh area of Nagpur, which houses the memorials of RSS founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar and its second Sarsanghchalak M S Golwalkar. His visit coincides with the RSS’s Gudi Padwa function and is seen as symbolically important within the Sangh’s ideological circle.

“Smruti Mandir and pay homage to the founding fathers of the RSS,” the official release said. Modi last visited the RSS headquarters in September 2012 to attend the funeral of former RSS chief K S Sudershan, and again in July 2013, just before being declared the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate.

During his visit, Modi will also pay homage to Dr B R Ambedkar at Deekshabhoomi, the site where Ambedkar embraced Buddhism in 1956 along with thousands of followers.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for Madhav Netralaya Premium Centre, an extension of the Madhav Netralaya Eye Institute and Research Centre. Founded in memory of Golwalkar, the centre will feature a 250-bed hospital, 14 outpatient departments (OPDs), and 14 modular operation theatres aimed at providing affordable eye care.

Modi will also visit the Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited’s facility where he will inaugurate a 1,250-metre-long, 25-metre-wide airstrip for Unarmed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), as well as a live munition and warhead testing facility to support the development of loitering munitions and other guided arms.

Security in Nagpur has been ramped up ahead of the visit. The Special Protection Group (SPG) and Nagpur police conducted a full rehearsal of the PM’s route and event sites on Saturday. “The PM's convoy will include 20 special vehicles, including those connected to VIP protection and others having RCEID (radio controlled improvised explosive devices) jammer equipment,” an official said.

More than 5,000 police personnel, including Bomb Detection and Disposal Squads, Anti-Riot Squads, and Quick Response Teams, have been deployed. Additionally, 900 traffic officers will manage route security.

While Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule has insisted there is nothing “political” about Modi’s trip, the visit comes in the backdrop of strained ties between the BJP and RSS following party chief J P Nadda’s remarks that the BJP no longer needs “hand-holding” from the Sangh. After the 2024 general elections, where the BJP was seen to have suffered due to the RSS’s perceived distancing, both sides have been working to bridge the gap.