PRANAB’S RSS SPEECH SIGNIFICANT EVENT IN HISTORY: ADVANI
› ...Visit by (Pranab) Mukherjee, to the headquarters of RSS, and his illuminating exposition of the noble idea and ideals of Indian nationalism, are a significant event in our country’s contemporary history.
LK ADVANI, senior BJP leader
NEW DELH: bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stalwart LK Advani on Friday described former President Pranab Mukherjee’s speech at a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) event a day earlier as a “significant event in our country’s contemporary history”.
“Yesterday’s (Thursday) visit by Mukherjee, to the headquarters of the RSS, and his illuminating exposition of the noble idea and ideals of Indian nationalism, are a significant event in our country’s contemporary history,” he said in a statement in the national capital.
Advani also hailed RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for inviting Mukherjee to address the swayamsevaks who completed the third year of training this year.
“I also heartily congratulate Mukherjee for his grace and goodwill in accepting the invitation,” the senior BJP leader said.
Advani said he believed that Mukherjee and Bhagwat have truly set a praiseworthy example of dialogue transcending ideological affiliations and differences.
“Both of them highlighted the essential unity of India, which accepts and respects all diversities, including the pluralism of faiths,” he said in a statement.
Advani, who has served as the BJP president for the longest period, expressed his happiness over the RSS expanding and intensifying its efforts to reach out to various sections of the nation in the “spirit of dialogue” under Bhagwat.
“Such conversations, conducted in the spirit of openness and mutual respect, will surely help in creating a much-needed atmosphere of tolerance, harmony and cooperation to build an India of our common dreams,” he said.
Praising Mukherjee, Advani said he showed grace and goodwill in accepting the RSS invite as he recalled his long association with him.
CONG’S PRAISE
Mukherjee’s decision to accept the RSS’ invite to address its members had drawn flak from several Congress leaders and other rivals of the BJP, which is affiliated to the RSS.
However, a day after Mukherjee’s speech, Congress leaders said the former president had emerged “taller” after telling the RSS about India’s pluralism.
“Happy that Mr Pranab Mukherjee told the RSS what is right about Congress’ ideology. It was his way of saying what is wrong about RSS’ ideology,” he tweeted.
Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said one should not judge a man by the invitation he gets, but by what he speaks. Mukherjee’s address vindicates this, he said.
“Very happy that my stand from day one fully vindicated viz don’t judge a man by the invitation or the host’s identity but by what he says and does at the event. repeated this and Pranabda’s address fully vindicates this view. He is first ex Congman to preach some lessons to RSS,” Singhvi said on Twitter.