Bhagwat to outline RSS views on issues before prominent society members during lecture series starting Tuesday

New Delhi, Aug 25 (PTI) RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat is set to address a gathering of eminent personalities from different walks of life, including opposition leaders, and present the organisation's views and perspectives on a host of topics during a three-day lecture series starting on Tuesday.

The programme, themed "100 Years Journey of RSS: New Horizons", will be held at the Vigyan Bhawan here.

It will be livestreamed on various media and social media platforms.

Briefing reporters about the event, RSS' national publicity and media head Sunil Ambekar said during the three-day lecture series, Bhagwat will hold a "dialogue" with a diverse gathering of "prominent people" from the society and present his views on "important issues" facing the country.

He will lay out the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) vision for the country's future and share with the people where the Sangh will invest its "energy" in the coming days and what kind of work the swayamsevaks will be asked to undertake, Ambekar said.

"This three-day event will be live-streamed," he said, adding, "We are hoping that after this dialogue, the society will have greater clarity with regard to the Sangh and its work." Ambekar said as many as 1,300 eminent people from different walks of life, including politicians, former judges, former armed forces personnel, sportspersons and envoys of different countries, are expected to attend the event.

"We have invited leaders from all political parties who are in constant touch with us. We have also invited eminent people from the Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist and Jain communities.

"We have invited many retired judges, including former CJI Ranjan Gogoi, and former diplomats like Kanwal Sibal," the RSS leader said.

Ambekar said Noble laureate Kailash Satyarthi and several other social workers known for their remarkable contributions have also been invited to attend the event.

Cricket icon Kapil Dev and Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra are among the sportspersons invited to attend the event, he added.

"We have also invited diplomats from various countries, including the United States, China, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Argentina and Australia," Ambekar said.

He said Bhagwat's lecture series has been organised in Delhi with an aim to hold a "wider dialogue" for social transportation in the country. Similar lecture series of the RSS chief will be organised in Bengaluru, Kolkata and Mumbai, he added.

On the first two days of the lecture series here, Bhagwat will share his vision for the future of India and the role of swayamsevaks (RSS volunteers) in shaping it. He will respond to questions from the participants on the third day of the event.

In a massive public reachout, the RSS has planned to organise a number of events, including more than one lakh "Hindu Sammelans", across the country to mark its centenary year, starting with Bhagwat's address at the organisation's headquarters in Nagpur on Vijaya Dashami, which falls on October 2 this year.

It also has plans to conduct a nationwide "door-to-door" public-contact programme during its centenary year. PTI PK RC