Eknath Shinde pays tribute to RSS founder, highlights Sangh's nation-building role

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde paid tributes at the memorial of RSS founder Dr K B Hedgewar on Thursday and said no one can ignore the Sangh's contribution to nation-building.

The ideologies of the Sangh Parivar and Shiv Sena are same, Shinde told reporters after visiting the Dr Hedgewar Smruti Mandir at Reshimbagh in Nagpur, where Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and other leaders of the ruling allies BJP and Shiv Sena also paid respects.

NCP leader and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, who outfit is also a constituent of the ruling Mahayuti, was not present, while two of his party legislators visited the memorial.

The winter session of the state legislature is currently underway in Nagpur.

As an organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) works selflessly, Shinde said.

The Shiv Sena head further said that he earlier also visited Hedgewar's memorial and had a relation with the Sangh Parivar since childhood.

"I started with a Sangh shakha and then with a Shiv Sena shakha, Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray's ideology and Anand Dighe sahab's teachings. The ideologies of the Sangh Parivar and Shiv Sena are same. How to work without expecting anything should be learnt from the Sangh Parivar," he said.

Shinde said one cannot ignore the contribution of the RSS to nation-building.

The RSS teaching seeks to unite and not divide, the deputy CM said. One gets inspired and energised after visiting Hedgewar's memorial, he added.

State assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar, council's deputy chairperson Neelam Gorhe and various other legislators of the ruling parties also paid homage at the memorials of Dr Hedgewar and M S Golwalkar, the second Sarsanghchalak of the RSS.

They also met with the Sangh office-bearers who gave them a brief introduction of the RSS.