CJI’s mother’s purported letter on RSS event attendance calls reports an RSS conspiracy
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A letter purportedly written by Kamaltai Gavai, the mother of Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai, has denied reports of her plan to attend the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-organised events marking Vijayadashami and the organisation’s centenary, describing the reports as false and a conspiracy by the RSS, while declining the invitation on the ground that she is a staunch Ambedkarite.
The letter, circulated in the media on Sunday, stated that she identified herself as a staunch Ambedkarite and would therefore not participate in the RSS’s Amravati Mahanagar event scheduled to be held on October 5 at Srimati Narsamma Mahavidyalaya Maidan in Amravati’s Kiran Nagar locality.
The reports of her possible participation had circulated widely on several news channels a day earlier, with suggestions that she would be attending the programme as the chief guest, yet the letter attributed to Kamaltai dismissed such claims as “completely false” and described them as an “RSS conspiracy.”
The Wire reported that despite several attempts to reach her by phone, she did not respond, leaving the authenticity of the letter unverified at the time of publication, though the news portal confirmed that the story would be updated once her response was received.
The controversy drew attention after Justice Gavai’s younger brother Rajendra Gavai, a politician and medical doctor, said that their mother had agreed to attend the RSS function, and he defended her reported decision by linking it to the family’s history of personal associations across political divides.
He recalled how their father, the late R.S. Gavai, had been close to leaders ranging from Indira Gandhi to Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and had attended functions without compromising his political views, and he pointed out that similar invitations had been accepted by their father in the past.
R.S. Gavai, who passed away in 2015, was a senior Ambedkarite leader associated with the Republican Party of India (RPI) and later with his own faction RPI (Gavai), and he had served as a member of the Rajya Sabha as well as governor of Bihar and Kerala.
His legacy, rooted in the Ambedkarite movement, has often been cited as a guiding force for his family, yet the latest controversy surrounding his widow has exposed tensions over her perceived proximity to the RSS.
Within hours of Rajendra’s statements appearing in the media, the letter attributed to Kamaltai was circulated, contradicting his account and making clear her alleged refusal to participate in the event.
Rajendra responded by saying he would support his mother regardless of her decision, though he admitted that she had been unwell, depressed, and not responding to calls, including his. He added that he could not verify whether the letter was truly hers, even as he emphasised his acceptance of whatever stand she ultimately took, The Wire reported.