Eknath Shinde defends Salman Khans RSS event appearance: 'He has lord Ganesha at home, respects our culture'

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh celebrated its century-long journey. The event saw prominent figures, including Salman Khan, Ranbir Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal.

A fresh debate erupted after Bollywood superstar Salman Khan attended the ‘100 Years of Sangh Journey: New Horizons’ event in Mumbai, drawing both praise and criticism on social media. As conversations intensified online, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde stepped forward to defend the actor, framing the issue as one of citizenship rather than politics.

Actor Salman Khan arrived at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s Mumbai Vyakhyanmala event on Saturday. (PTI)

Eknath Shinde defends Salman Khan presence in RSS event

Salman’s presence at the RSS-led function, where RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat shared the stage with film industry names like Ranbir Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal, quickly became a talking point. Critics questioned the optics of the actor’s participation, while supporters dismissed the controversy as unnecessary.

Speaking to ANI, Shinde rejected the backlash, emphasising Salman’s identity as an Indian citizen over any political interpretation of his appearance. “Salman Khan attending the RSS event or not attending it, what kind of question is this? Salman Khan is an Indian citizen. He has Lord Ganesha at his home, respects our culture, and his family does too,” Shinde said, underscoring that public figures should not be boxed into political narratives for attending cultural events.

The event itself marked a milestone for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, reflecting on its century-long journey and future direction. During his address, Mohan Bhagwat highlighted the influence Bollywood stars hold over young Indians, citing Khan as an example. “College students copy Salman Khan’s fashion. When asked why, they say they don’t know—Salman is doing it. The context of good values in society should become a fashion,” Bhagwat remarked, suggesting that celebrities could channel their popularity toward positive social messaging.

More about the RSS event

The two-day celebration drew a significant presence from the film fraternity. On the first day, Salman Khan and Ranbir Kapoor were joined by filmmakers Mohit Suri, Subhash Ghai, Nitesh Tiwari, Mahaveer Jain, Om Raut, Vikram Malhotra, and lyricist Prasoon Joshi. Day two saw actors Akshay Kumar and Vicky Kaushal in attendance, along with filmmaker Karan Johar and actor Ananya Panday.

Other prominent names spotted at the event included Raveena Tandon, Shilpa Shetty, Jackie Shroff, Rupali Ganguly and Vineet Kumar Singh. Filmmakers Nitesh Tiwari, Madhur Bhandarkar, Mahesh Manjrekar, Aanand L Rai, Amar Kaushik, Amit Sharma, Ramesh Taurani, and Anand Pandit were also present. Several photographs circulating on social media show the stars seated among the audience during the sessions.