Dr Gavai has, however, rejected the proposition, calling reports of her participation “misleading and untrue”. In a statement, she asserted she has neither accepted any invitation nor given consent in writing to attend the gathering, and affirmed she will not be present at the RSS event in Amravati. She urged the public—especially followers of Ambedkarite thought—not to accept what she described as “false propaganda”.
Sources within the RSS indicate that the Amravati Mahanagar unit issued the invite through official channels, listing Dr Gavai as the chief guest at the function slated for the college grounds of Srimati Narsamma Mahavidyalaya in Kiran Nagar locality. The organisation’s leadership had hoped her presence would lend symbolic weight, aligning with RSS’s outreach narrative in the state.
The RSS’s centenary campaign is expansive. The organisation plans multiple “Hindu Sammelans” numbering over a lakh across India, as well as numerous symposia. Its national office has also rolled out a door-to-door contact programme, backed by volunteer brigades, to deepen public engagement this anniversary year. The 2 October Vijayadashami event at RSS headquarters in Nagpur — traditionally used for the Sangh’s annual sammelan — will inaugurate the commemorative wave.
Critics have viewed the invitation as a deliberate attempt at realignment with Dalit leaders, or as a signal to soften the Sangh’s image. Dr Gavai, known for her staunch commitment to Ambedkarite ideology, has routinely spotlighted her family’s allegiance to social justice and constitutional values. In her rebuttal, she contrasted the RSS Dussehra symbolism with Dhammachakra Pravartan Din, which her community venerates as the day Emperor Ashoka embraced Buddhism.