Calling the RSS move to reach out Muslims a veiled attempt to improve the image, Vivek Agnihotri, a senior Journalist said, “Though the move to begin dialogue between the Sangh and the Muslims is a welcoming initiative but the other side of the coin is that the denigration of Indian image over international platform has forced the Indian Government, the PM Modi and the Sangh to take remedial steps.”

“The RSS, no doubt, want to establish a Hindutva rule in the entire country, however, it also want to take keep the secular and democratic image of the county intact over the world, atleast for time being,” he said adding that “the another reason behind the RSS’s veiled move is to counter the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ being initiated by the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi mainly to promote religious harmony among the people of different faith.”

While playing down the RSS Chief’s Meeting with few Muslim figures during a debate on a news channel he tried to say that nothing has come much surprising in Mohan Bhagwat’s meeting with the Muslim intellectuals.

“Umar Ilyasi, the son of Moulana Jameel Ilyasi, is a long-standing sympathiser of RSS,” he reminded and moved on saying, “Umar was quite active in promoting the Muslim Rastriya Manch (MRM) formed by the RSS under the supervision of Indresh Kumar. Umar was already seen in several programmes under the banner of MRM.”

The other notable intellectuals to whom RSS Chief called-on recently are include Najeeb Jang, the former Leftenant Governor of Delhi even in PM Modi’s last term, Shahid Siddique, who took interview of PM Modi when he was the chief Minister of Gujarat and Zaheeruddin Shah, the former vioce-chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University and brother of Bollywood Theaspian Naseeruddin Shah. “Mohan Bhagwat begun dialogue with Muslims by meeting these people but visiting a mosque to meet them is quite exceptional,” he explained.

Presently, he said, we could say that Bhagwat is meeting with only those Muslim figures with whom he has a long bond friendship. “Neither Moham Bhagwat visited to the Deoband or the Bareli – both the fundamentalist Muslim School of thoughts, nor did he go to the dargah of Ajmer shareef that hint us to establish something other way around. He simply began his journey by meeting his fidus achates.”