British high commissioner Ellis meets Bhagwat

Nagpur: British high commissioner to India Alexander Ellis was on a brief visit to Nagpur. He also called on the RSS’ Sarsanghchalak (chief) Mohan Bhagwat at the organization’s headquarters in Mahal. The meeting lasted around an hour, confirmed sources in the RSS.

Ellis also visited the RSS Smruti Mandir complex near the Reshimbagh ground and also the house of Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, the founder of RSS, in Mahal.

He also went to Deekshabhoomi ground, the site where thousands of Dalits under the leadership of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar converted to Buddhism in October 1956. The diplomat also went to Mahatma Gandhi’s Sewagram Ashram in Wardha.

The envoy also paid a visit to Haldiram’s office. The company, however, did not comment on the visit. A meeting of exporters was also arranged at the Mihan-SEZ.

At Mihan, some of the units like the Air India maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) depot were visited.

Ellis’ visit to the RSS headquarters and a meeting with Bhagwat adds to the list of foreign envoys visiting the Hindutva fountainhead.

Last year, Israeli envoy Kobbi Shoshani had taken part in the RSS’ Vijaya Dashami function held each year to mark the foundation of the organization. Earlier, the German ambassador Walter Lindner had come down for a visit. In February last year, the French ambassador Emmanuel Lenain had paid a visit to the RSS headquarters.

There have also been visits by American and Japanese consul generals to the RSS headquarters a couple of years ago.

Ellis’ visit is being dubbed as a trade visit as the British high commission is covering Tier 2 cities in the country. It was a courtesy visit at RSS as Ellis and his team were in Nagpur, said sources.

Sources said the visit is part of the effort to build stronger trade relations between the two countries, especially in smaller centres.

At Mihan, there was a discussion about scope of business with exporters having a unit in the SEZ.