The Banyan Tree of India! PM Modi at RSS Heaquarters in Nagpur
Modi Hails RSS As Cultural Titan During Historic Nagpur Visit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters in Nagpur on Sunday, his first as PM in 11 years, calling the organization the “banyan tree” of India’s timeless culture.
The visit, marking only the second time a sitting PM has stepped into the RSS hub—after Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2000—came during Modi’s packed third-term schedule, aligning with the Sangh’s centenary buildup.
At the Dr Hedgewar Smruti Mandir in Reshimbagh, Modi paid tribute to RSS founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar and second chief M S Golwalkar, joined by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. “This memorial inspires lakhs of swayamsevaks dedicated to national service,” Modi wrote in the guestbook, lauding the duo as pillars of cultural nationalism.
He later posted on X, noting the visit’s timing on Varsha Pratipada, Hedgewar’s birth anniversary, as a personal milestone.
Modi also laid the foundation stone for the Madhav Netralaya Premium Centre, an extension of the eye institute named after Golwalkar. Speaking there, he praised the RSS’s century of “tapasya, sangathan, and samarpan” (penance, organization, and dedication), tying its selfless service to India’s ‘Viksit Bharat’ goal by 2047. “From 1925-47, RSS fought for independence; now, from 2025-47, it’s laying the foundation for the next 1,000 years,” he said, noting the nation’s 75th Constitution year and RSS’s 100th.
Bhagwat echoed Modi, highlighting Madhav Netralaya’s welfare work as a reflection of RSS’s service ethos. “Volunteers seek nothing for themselves, only to serve society,” he said. Modi’s day also included a stop at Deekshabhoomi, where Dr B R Ambedkar embraced Buddhism in 1956.
Calling it a beacon of social justice, Modi wrote, “Building an inclusive Bharat is the true tribute to Babasaheb,” reaffirming his government’s commitment to Ambedkar’s vision.
Modi rounded out the visit with tours of a Solar Defence and Aerospace ammunition facility and the launch of a UAV airstrip and loitering munition testing site.
His words and actions underscored a blend of cultural pride and modern ambition, cementing the RSS’s role as a bedrock of his ideological and developmental agenda.
