No RSS invite for Rahul Gandhi yet; will respond once received: Congress

While speculations had been rife that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right-wing group will invite Congress president Rahul Gandhi and CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechuri for its 'Future of India' event in New Delhi, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Monday cleared their stance over the same.

Reacting to the reports of the Mohan Bhagwat party inviting the Gandhi scion, Singhvi said the Congress president has not received an invite to attend an RSS event so far and will respond to questions on the matter only after an invitation is received.

"I do not answer hypothetical, speculative questions... This is purely imaginary at the moment," the party spokesperson said while interacting to reporters.

"I have said to you categorically upon checking that we have received no invitation as I speak," Singhvi reiterated.

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"As and when we receive an invitation, the Congress party receives an invitation, there will be an appropriate (and) proper response and you all will be shared with that response," he stressed.

Earlier on Monday, a source close to the RSS said that the organisation may invite the Congress president to the lecture series. According to Sangh sources, the key focus of its 'Future of India' event is to gather people of different ideologies from across the party line.

Giving details of the September event, RSS prachar pramukh Arun Kumar said the Sangh was for the first time organising a three-day lecture series by Bhagwat on the theme, 'Future of Bharat: An RSS perspective'.

Speculations that Gandhi could be invited came a day after the RSS criticised him for drawing parallels between the Sangh and Islamic radical outfit Muslim Brotherhood.

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Earlier in June, RSS sparked a similar controversy after former president Pranab Mukherjee, in a profoundly loaded political move, attended one of its events in Nagpur. There were reports that the unprecedented step taken by Mukherjee to visit and deliver a speech at the RSS headquarters would further rattle the Congress which has been his party until elected as President about six years ago.