BJP President pick may bring PM Modi to RSS headquarters: Telegraph report
New Delhi: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has indicated its preference for a “strong leader” rather than a “rubber stamp” as the next Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president, leading to tensions within the party, The Telegraph reported. This could prompt Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the RSS headquarters in Nagpur for the first time since assuming office 11 years ago, according to a report by Telegraph journalist J.P. Yadav.
The BJP has delayed the election of a new party chief as the RSS has yet to approve any of the proposed names. The term of current BJP president J.P. Nadda, considered by some as a “rubber stamp,” expired in January 2024 and has been extended. The Telegraph reported that Modi is scheduled to visit Nagpur on March 30 for an official engagement, during which he is likely to meet RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to discuss the matter.
“The Sangh appears adamant about having a BJP president who fits its criteria. From my interactions with key Sangh leaders, they want a strong and reliable leader, not a yes-man,” a senior BJP leader told The Telegraph.
Modi’s visit to Nagpur coincides with the RSS centenary celebrations. He will lay the foundation stone for a private eye hospital, an event that Bhagwat, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari are also expected to attend. Following this, Modi may visit the RSS headquarters to pay respects to its founder, Keshav Baliram Hedgewar.
RSS chief publicist Sunil Ambekar declined to comment on Modi’s possible visit but said he was “welcome.”
Relations between the BJP and RSS have been strained since the general election, where Modi’s slogan, “Abki baar chaar sau paar” (This time, over 400 seats), was seen as overconfident. The BJP fell short of a majority, and Bhagwat later criticised the “arrogance” and “bitter” campaign that, according to him, harmed social harmony. RSS cadres had also largely stayed away from election activities.
Since then, efforts have been made to mend ties. The BJP leadership held several meetings with the RSS ahead of elections in Haryana, Maharashtra, and Delhi, where coordinated efforts contributed to victories.
Recently, Modi has been vocal in his praise for the RSS. In a podcast with Lex Fridman on Sunday, he credited the organisation for shaping his life and instilling in him the “nation first” ideology. “More than anything, the RSS provides you with a clear direction towards what can truly be called a purpose in life,” he said.
According to RSS insiders, Modi’s remarks could be an attempt to secure support for a BJP president of his choice. Nadda had previously irked the RSS by downplaying its role in an interview during the general election, suggesting that the BJP had evolved to manage its own affairs.
(Source: The Telegraph, report by J.P. Yadav)
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Gurugram Police arrest BJP Yuva Morcha member for spreading fake murder story on social media
New Delhi: Gurugram Police have arrested BJP Yuva Morcha member Hariom Mishra, for allegedly spreading a fabricated and communally sensitive story on social media about the murder of a college student in Gurugram.
Mishra who is also known as Shaurya Mishra had shared a collage of four photographs on his X handle earlier this month. He claimed that a 24-year-old college student, identified as Nikita Agarwal, had been murdered by her classmate Arif Khan in Gurugram. In the post, he alleged that the woman was blackmailed, forced into prostitution, gangraped, and eventually killed. He also claimed that Arif dumped her body in a forest. The claims were presented as being based on police sources.
The post went viral and garnering over 1.5 lakh views, and was amplified by several right-wing social media handles across X, Facebook and Instagram. A verification of the claims revealed that no such incident had taken place in Gurugram. A search of credible news reports showed no record of any such murder. The police said this news would have inevitably attracted media attention if it were true.
On December 11, Gurugram Police publicly refuted the claims through their official X handle. They stated that the information which was being circulated was completely false. The police warned that legal action would be taken against those spreading misinformation. Despite the warning, Mishra neither deleted the post nor issued any clarification.
Police in Gurugram confirmed Mishra's arrest on December 16. The police said a FIR was filed after he continued to spread false information about the alleged murder of a Hindu woman by Muslim man. Police said Mishra, a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Kaushambi district, is now being investigated.
Gurugram Police spokesperson Sandeep Singh told The Print that the accused had deliberately misrepresented facts and used objectionable content to spread hatred along religious lines. “Such posts can create serious disturbances in society, and the police take these matters very seriously,” he said.
A reverse image search conducted by fact-checkers at Alt News, revealed that the photographs used in the viral post were unrelated to the claims, while two of the images were traced to a Pinterest account belonging to influencer Maulik Chopra and another image was sourced from an Instagram post by influencer Shivam Thakur featuring a woman named Deepanshi Rawat. The fourth image was found on an unrelated Instagram page. The images depicted different individuals and had no connection to any crime.
Police said they are also investigating Mishra’s motive behind sharing the false and provocative content.
