PM Modi to meet RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat today
What's the story
PM Narendra Modi will visit Nagpur today, where he will pay tribute at Dr K B Hedgewar's memorial, the founder of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
He will also pay homage to Dr B R Ambedkar at Deekshabhoomi.
During the visit, PM Modi is expected to meet RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, their first joint appearance since Ram Mandir's consecration in Ayodhya on January 22 last year.
Festival celebration
Meeting coincides with Gudi Padwa festival celebrations
Modi's visit comes on the occasion of the RSS celebrating the Gudi Padwa festival. This will be a significant event for both as it is their first appearance together at the RSS headquarters.
The meeting comes amid speculation of friction between the Sangh and BJP leadership, and ahead of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) national president election, due early April.
The RSS has historically been influential in choosing party leaders.
Trip details
PM Modi's itinerary in Nagpur
PM Modi will visit the Smruti Mandir to pay tribute to the RSS's founding fathers, including Hedgewar and M S Golwalkar, the second Sarsanghchalak of the RSS.
The memorials are located at Dr Hedgewar Smruti Mandir in the Reshimbagh area of Nagpur.
He will also pay respects to Dr B R Ambedkar at Deekshabhoomi, where Ambedkar converted to Buddhism along with thousands of his followers in 1956.
Health initiative
PM Modi's visit to Madhav Netralaya Premium Centre
PM Modi will also lay the foundation stone for Madhav Netralaya Premium Centre, a new extension of Madhav Netralaya Eye Institute and Research Center.
This super-speciality ophthalmic care facility, which was established in 2014 in the memory of Golwalkar, will have a 250-bed hospital, 14 OPDs, and 14 modular operation theaters to provide affordable eye care services.
Defence visit
PM Modi to inaugurate airstrip and ammunition facility
Modi will also tour Solar Defense and Aerospace Limited's ammunition facility, where he will inaugurate a newly constructed airstrip for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and a live munition testing facility.
This forms a part of his larger itinerary in Nagpur, which includes paying tribute at RSS memorials, honoring Ambedkar, laying foundation stones for new facilities, and inaugurating defense infrastructure.