RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat visits London temple, Gurdwara:20 UK groups write to mayor urging boycott of his foreign tour

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat began the UK leg of his three-country foreign tour on Friday by visiting temples and a Gurdwara in London, the organisation said. According to RSS central executive member Sunil Ambekar and Rohit Ambekar, coordinator of Integral UK for the Britain tour, Bhagwat will meet religious leaders, academicians, researchers and other prominent personalities during his visit. The RSS said Bhagwat will convey the message of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, or “the world is one family”, while sharing the organisation’s experience of selfless service and social harmony. The UK visit is part of a three-country outreach programme linked to the RSS centenary year and follows Bhagwat’s recent visits to the US and Canada. Bhagwat visits temple, Gurdwara As part of the tour’s interfaith outreach, Bhagwat visited the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Willesden and the Khalsa Jatha British Isles Gurdwara, the RSS said. He is also scheduled to visit a Jain temple in London. The main event of the UK tour will be held on Sunday and will include a welcome ceremony for community leaders themed ‘Celebration of Oneness’, followed by a ‘Civilizational Dialogue’. The programme has been organised by the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) UK, a Hindu social and cultural organisation established in Britain in 1966, with support from Integral UK. More than 310 community organisations and associations from across the UK are expected to participate, according to the RSS. Closed-door meetings with Indian diaspora Bhagwat arrived in London on Wednesday and began his engagements on Thursday with closed-door roundtable meetings. He later addressed a gathering of prominent members of the Indian diaspora associated with business and politics. Ambekar said there was considerable interest in the UK in understanding the RSS and claimed Bhagwat addressed questions raised by participants. The gathering included British citizens of Indian origin, UK leaders, parliamentarians, businesspeople and representatives of FTSE 100 companies and other corporations, according to the RSS. The organisation did not disclose details of the attendees, saying the meeting was held confidentially to facilitate open discussions. RSS responds to concerns over Bhagwat’s visit Several civil society groups and UK MPs have raised concerns over Bhagwat’s visit. Responding to the criticism, Ambekar said the RSS was in the UK to promote “peace, integration and unity” and was willing to engage with everyone. He said differing opinions were normal in a democracy and argued that misconceptions about the RSS stemmed from a lack of understanding of its ideology. Ambekar also said Hindutva should not be viewed as a static concept, describing it as an idea that respects different religions and traditions and emphasises the pursuit of truth. Public address scheduled for Sunday Bhagwat is scheduled to address the Indian diaspora publicly on Sunday, with the speech expected to be broadcast live. The RSS said no interaction between Bhagwat and the British media has been scheduled. Details of all participants attending the Sunday programme have also not been disclosed. ​