New Delhi: After an Economic Times reported on August 1 claimed that the Pranab Mukherjee Foundation and the former president appeared “keen” to “extend a relationship” with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Pranab Mukherjee issued a statement to deny the story.

“It is categorically clarified that there is neither any existing collaboration, nor is there any such move in the offing,” the statement reads.

The former president is due visit Gurgaon on September 2 and visit some villages with Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar to inaugurate a few projects. The statement clarifies that while Mukherjee was the president of India, he had adopted several villages under the Smartgram Project started in Haryana in 2018.

In its story, Economic Times says that it spoke to a member of the RSS and confirmed that Mukherjee “has invited over 15 senior and junior level RSS workers for the event” and that “this group had met the former president at his residence a few days ago, when he talked to them about his foundation’s efforts to provide clean drinking water in Haryana villages it has adopted”.

“The RSS members assured him of all grassroots help and presented him a coffee table book on the history and struggles of the RSS,” reads the Economic Times report.

The story goes on to say that an associate of the former president confirmed that such a meeting took places but “nothing had been formalised about the RSS and Mukherjee working together on any project”.

“He has always been a proponent of inclusiveness. And for the work he is doing, he would want to include everyone,” the source reportedly said.

In response to the news report, Mukherjee states that he is visiting Gurgaon on September 2 “at the invitation of the government of Haryana”.

Just a couple of months ago, Mukherjee’s decision to accept an invitation by the RSS to address its new recruits at an event in Nagpur on June 7 had caused an uproar.

At the time, many claimed that the RSS had managed to “appropriate” the former president. Mukherjee, once on the dais, gave a speech that expounded on the many facets of Indian nationalism after watching the freshly trained members of the organisation in action.

“We know what we are. And we are moving towards our goal with all conviction. We invite everyone to come and form their own opinion about RSS,” he had said, in a speech that was telecast live on most news channels.