RSS to organise Eid Milan event at its Nagpur HQ for first time since inception: Sources

For the first time since its inception in 1925, the RSS is likely to organise an 'Eid Milan' programme in its bid to reach out to the Muslim community at its Nagpur headquarters in August, sources said on Tuesday.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Photo: File (PTI)

NEW DELHI: For the first time since its inception in 1925, the RSS is likely to organise an 'Eid Milan' programme in its bid to reach out to the Muslim community at its Nagpur headquarters in August, sources said on Tuesday. RSS has a Muslim wing by the name of Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM), which hosts iftar parties across India. The MRM, headed by senior RSS functionary Indresh Kumar, has also organised International iftar parties in Delhi in past. According to sources, the workers of MRM urged the RSS that this year it should throw an iftar party at its Reshim Bagh headquarters in Nagpur. "Last year the iftar party was held in front of Jama Masjid in Nagpur. This year, it should be held at Resham Bagh headquarters, which also hosts programs on Dusshera and other festivals," the MRM workers reportedly told the RSS. Sources said the RSS told its Muslim wing that organising an iftar party at Nagpur headquarters is not possible because of the ongoing valedictory session of the Tritiya Varsh Varg' or the Third Year Course for RSS volunteers. This response of the RSS irked some of the MRM members, after which it agreed to host an 'Eid Milan' event at its main branch, sources further said. The MRM was set up in 2002 by the SSR at the initiative of its then chief K S Sudarshan to allow the sangh parivar to reach out to the Muslim community on various issues including the vexed Ayodhya Ram Temple dispute.