Muslim cleric calls Mohan Bhagwat 'father of the nation'; Owaisi objects to RSS chief's meeting with 'Muslim elites'

Mohan Bhagwat is the father of the nation and the sage of the nation, Imam Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, the chief of All India Imam Organisation said after meeting with the RSS chief.

"Mohan Bhagwat visiting us is a privilege. Bhagwat came to Imam House for a meeting and he is our Rashtra Pita and Rashtra Rishi. The unity and integrity of the country should be maintained. We may all worship in a different way, but before that we all are human. We live in India and are Indians," he told the news agency IANS.

"India is on the verge of becoming Vishwa Guru and we all should strive for it," he added.

Asked if Bhagwat was Rashtra Pita, Ilyasi said, "Absolutely. He is the 'Rashta Pita'.

Ilyasi's brother Suhaib Ilyasi said his father had an old relationship with the Sangh.

"Our father had an old relationship with the Sangh. Mohan Bhagwat had come to the mosque on the death anniversary of Jameel Ilyasi. It was a family program and it should be seen in that context only," he added. 

Mohan Bhagwat held discussions with several Muslim intellectuals for strengthening communal harmony in the country.

Meanwhile, Asaduddin Owaisi, the chief of the AIMIM, said those who met Bhagwat are part of the elite section of the society and had no connection with the ground reality.

"These people went and met him (Bhagwat). The whole world knows the RSS' ideology, and you go and meet him. This elite section of the Muslim community, whatever they do, is the truth. But when we fight politically for our fundamental rights, we are shown in a bad light," Owiaisi was quoted by NDTV.