In a recent development, prominent Congress leaders have taken to X, formerly recognized as Twitter, to express their perspectives and commentary on a news article published by the Times of India. Within their X posts, these Congress leaders are articulating robust criticism towards Prime Minister Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Their contentions revolve around an assertion that Chinese diplomats visited the RSS headquarters in Nagpur in December of the previous year. The Congress Party representatives are sharing this information, insinuating that the Chinese envoys engaged in clandestine discussions with RSS members during their visit.
Congress Party tweeted from their official handle, ‘The PM stuck his neck in the sand as a response to China’s intrusions, cooperated with its military, allowed it to gain influence in India’s neighbourhood, increased India’s economic dependence on China and permitted the RSS to felicitate its diplomats. No wonder the Chinese state media has only words of praise for him.’
The PM stuck his neck in the sand as a response to China's intrusions, cooperated with its military, allowed it to gain influence in India's neighbourhood, increased India's economic dependence on China and permitted the RSS to felicitate its diplomats.
— Congress (@INCIndia) January 5, 2024
No wonder the Chinese… pic.twitter.com/IgazehJm0Q
Rajya Sabha member and General Secretary of the Congress Party KC Venugopal wrote on X, ‘What is the link between RSS and China? What was the agenda behind meeting between senior RSS leaders and the Chinese? We all know about Adani’s China link, and now the RSS’ China association is also coming out a month after the meeting happened. Is this why the Chinese media is praising the Modi-led government?’
What is the link between RSS and China?
— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) January 5, 2024
What was the agenda behind meeting between senior RSS leaders and the Chinese?
We all know about Adani’s China link, and now the RSS’ China association is also coming out a month after the meeting happened.
Is this why the Chinese media… pic.twitter.com/nZ0yLwH1mZ
Congress Spokesperson Supriya Shrinate posted a long video on the topic.
RSS और चीन के बीच में चल क्या रहा है? मोदी-चीन की प्रेम कथा की क़ीमत तो आज भी देश चुका रहा है. अब RSS के साथ क्या पक रहा है?
— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) January 5, 2024
🔺इतिहास में पहली बार चीन के राजनयिकों का एक दल दिसंबर 2023 में नागपुर स्थित RSS के मुख्यालय गया
🔺उसके कुछ ही दिनों बाद चीनी सरकार के मुखपत्र में PM… pic.twitter.com/oetxgvKoFZ
Rajya Sabha member from Shiv Sena (UBT) Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote, ‘After Chinese diplomats/officials visited RSS HQ, we have BJP President quoting China’s Global Times praise as an endorsement of GoI’s success!’
After Chinese diplomats/officials visited RSS HQ, we have BJP President quoting China’s Global Times praise as an endorsement of GoI’s success!
— Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) January 6, 2024
फिर से पूछना पड़ेगा, ये रिश्ता क्या कहलाता है? pic.twitter.com/Gz8RD8f3G5
Congress Spokesperson Lavanya Ballal Jain tweeted, ‘What is this continued relationship that the rss has with China? When the nation has banned all things Chinese, what are they doing in the RSS headquarters?’
What is this continued relationship that the rss has with China?
— Lavanya Ballal Jain (@LavanyaBallal) January 5, 2024
When the nation has banned all things Chinese, what are they doing in the RSS headquarters? pic.twitter.com/3cKvGci9iS
Along with these individuals, Geet V, Sandeep Manudhane, Asma, and Raju Parelkar expressed concordant viewpoints on X.
Group of Chinese diplomats visited RSS Smruti Mandir in December 2023.
— GeetV (@geetv79) January 5, 2024
This is the 1st ever visit by a Chinese diplomat of any level to the Hindutva HQ. #ChineseChaukidar must tell us what's the deal with China on India's territories & sovereignty.
https://t.co/VZTo4tErXW pic.twitter.com/Nx76cYf23d
https://twitter.com/sandeep_pt/status/1743222440610726316?s=46
The country is still paying the price of the Modi-China love story. What is cooking between RSS and China ?
— Asma (@asmatasleem13) January 5, 2024
🔺For the first time in history, a group of Chinese diplomats visited the RSS headquarters in Nagpur in December 2023.
🔺A few days later, PM Modi was praised in the… pic.twitter.com/58i4TLZ219
2024 चुनाव से पहले RSS हेडक्वॉर्टर क्यों पहुंचे China के अधिकारी ? गुप्त… https://t.co/1bYqNtRpbg via @YouTube
— Raju Parulekar (@rajuparulekar) January 5, 2024
Drawing inspiration from the Times of India narrative, The Telegraph crafted a story that echoed Congress’s sentiments while pouring their own emotion. The headline from The Telegraph reads, “Why won’t China praise PM?: Congress links article hailing Narendra Modi to Galwan clash.”
The news was also shared by the website Hindutva Watch, citing The Times of India as their source.
The story was also shared by The Wire, a media outlet with a reputation for disseminating communist propaganda.
Abhisar Sharma, a consultant affiliated with Newsclick, known for disseminating misleading information, also posted a YouTube video addressing the mentioned topic.
Additional media platforms such as Aajtak, Live Mint, and Hindustan also propagated the news, asserting that Chinese envoys visited the RSS headquarters
Also Read: Fact Check: TMC’s Jawahar Sircar Misleads on Health Spending by Vilifying PLI Scheme
Fact Check
Initiating our fact-checking procedure, we began by examining the Times of India article that served as the catalyst for the ongoing controversy. On X, we encountered a tweet from the Times of India accompanied by the caption, “Amid tense ties, China envoys RSS headquarters in Nagpur.” Nevertheless, upon accessing the article link, a piece emerged with the headline, “Hindi Research Scholars from China Visit RSS’ Smruti Mandir, Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur.”
https://twitter.com/timesofindia/status/1743185565233844427?s=46
The Times of India reported on 6th January 2024, “A Chinese team comprising Hindi scholars, who attended a workshop at Wardha’s Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya (Hindi University), visited prominent places in Nagpur, including Smruti Mandir at Reshimbagh on their return trip on December 7. Smruti Mandir houses the memorial of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar.”
The article further reported, “RSS has clarified the Chinese delegation visited the Hedgewar memorial as part of its sight-seeing tour of Nagpur and did not visit the Sangh headquarters here at Mahal. Also, they did not interact with any senior RSS functionary at Smruti Mandir, which is open to all citizens and tourists for paying homage to the Sangh founder and does not even maintain a visitors’ register. Smruti Mandir in-charge showed them around.
The Chinese team, which had earlier in the day visited Mahatma Gandhi’s Sevagram Ashram at Wardha, also toured other landmarks in Nagpur, including Deekshabhoomi, where Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar embraced Buddhism with lakhs of followers and the Zero Mile pillar.”
News 18 hastily published the RSS’s prompt and decisive response to the aforementioned topic. News 18 reported, “The RSS f clarified that the team ( Chinese) did not meet any functionary and the RSS office was not aware of such a visit. “Smruti Mandir is open to all like Rajghat. So, there is no need to keep a vigil there. It is a public place and has nothing to do with the RSS head office or senior functionaries of the RSS.”
In conclusion, the delegation of Chinese Hindi scholars visited Smruti Mandir rather than the RSS headquarters. Notably, Smruti Mandir serves as the memorial dedicated to Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, the founder of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Consequently, the assertions put forth by Congress party leaders are deemed misleading and duplicitous, carrying an insidious intent to sway public opinion against Prime Minister Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party, and the RSS.
| Claim | Chinese envoys visited RSS headquarters in Nagpur |
| Claimed by | Congress Party |
| Fact Check | Misleading |
