Ideological divide: NCP stays away from Hedgewar memorial as allies pay tribute

Even as Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde paid tribute to RSS founder K.B. Hedgewar at his memorial in Nagpur, Ajit Pawar’s NCP, a key ally of the ruling Mahayuti, stayed away from the event.

The party later clarified that it joined the Mahayuti alliance for the state's development, and it was not the first time Pawar skipped the visit to Hedgewar's memorial.

“The National Congress Party's ideology is based on the progressive thoughts of (social reformers) Shahu, Phule and Ambedkar," NCP spokesperson Anand Paranjpe said.

"We stick to our principles and our focus is development of the state," he asserted.

The opposition Congress, however, took a jibe at Pawar and said that unless his party agreed with the RSS ideology in cabinet meetings, they wouldn’t be in power.

Later in a post on X, Sawant criticised the RSS, alleging that it promotes ideologies that undermine democracy and the Constitution.

Last year, MLAs Raju Karemore and Rajkumar Badole were the only representatives of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, which has 41 legislators in the assembly, at the Smruti Mandir.

Meanwhile, after paying tribute to Hedgewar, Deputy CM Shinde said visiting Nagpur inspires patriotism and motivates citizens to serve society. 

"Whenever we come to Nagpur, we make sure to visit Smriti Mandir. After coming here, one feels a sense of patriotism, gets inspiration, and gains the strength to serve society based on that,” Shinde said.

Hedgewar founded RSS in Nagpur in 1925 as a volunteer-based organisation with the goal of fostering cultural awareness, discipline, service, and social responsibility among citizens.