‘Purely imaginary at the moment’: Congress on RSS invite to Rahul Gandhi

The Congress said on Monday it has not received any invite for its president Rahul Gandhi to attend an RSS event in Delhi next month and would respond to questions on the matter only after an invitation is received.

“I do not answer hypothetical, speculative questions... This is purely imaginary at the moment,” Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi told reporters.

He said the Congress will come out with a response when it gets an invitation for Gandhi to attend the three-day lecture series by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat.

“I have said to you categorically upon checking that we have received no invitation as I speak,” Singhvi reiterated.

“As and when we receive an invitation, the Congress party receives an invitation, there will be an appropriate (and) proper response and you all will be shared with that response,” he stressed.

RSS sources said earlier on Monday that the organisation may invite the Congress president to the lecture series.

The idea is to invite people from different ideologies for the event, a source in the Sangh said, adding, the list is being prepared and may also include CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury.

Indications that Gandhi could be invited came on a day the RSS criticised him for drawing parallels between the Sangh and Islamic radical outfit Muslim Brotherhood.

Giving details of the September event, RSS prachar pramukh Arun Kumar said the Sangh was for the first time organising a three-day lecture series by Bhagwat on the theme, ‘Future of Bharat: An RSS perspective’.