Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat twice on Saturday amid discussions following the Lok Sabha election results.
Sources in Gorakhpur told The Indian Express that Adityanath first met Bhagwat in the afternoon at a school in the Campierganj area, where the RSS chief attended a meeting and an RSS event. Later in the evening around 8:30 pm, the Chief Minister visited the Saraswati Shishu Mandir in Pakkibagh locality to meet Bhagwat again. Both meetings, described as “closed-door,” lasted approximately 30 minutes each, according to the sources.
A senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader in Gorakhpur, associated with the RSS for three decades, indicated that Bhagwat’s visit to Gorakhpur immediately after the elections was not routine. It was intended for discussions with Adityanath regarding the reasons behind BJP’s performance in Uttar Pradesh, where the party had anticipated strong results.
Bhagwat arrived in Gorakhpur on Wednesday and engaged in multiple meetings with RSS officials from the region, receiving election reports from them, sources added.
Earlier, Bhagwat, in his first public remarks since the BJP fell short of a majority in the Lok Sabha elections, emphasized the qualities of a true sevak (one who serves the people), stating they should not harbour “ahankar” (arrogance) and should work without causing harm to others.
Speaking at a gathering of RSS leaders and workers in Nagpur after the conclusion of the Karyakarta Vikas Varg training programme, Bhagwat also criticised the lack of decorum in the recent election campaign.
On the day when the new BJP-led coalition held its inaugural Cabinet meeting, Bhagwat stressed the importance of consensus-building. He reiterated the RSS’s concerns about ongoing violence in Manipur, urging immediate attention to the issue.
“Jo vastavik sevak hai, jisko vastavik sevak kaha ja sakta hai, woh maryada se chalta hai… Uss maryada ka paalan karke jo chalta hai woh karm karta hai lekin karmon mein lipt nahi hota. Usme ahankar nahin aata ki maine kiya. Aur wahi sevak kehlane ka adhikari rehta hai (A true sevak maintains decorum while working… The one who maintains decorum does his work, but remains unattached. There is no arrogance that I did this. Only such a person has the right to be called a sevak),” he said.
He also said elections should be viewed as a competition, and not war.