Veteran journalist, ex-legislator, senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideologue and its first spokesperson Madhav Govind Vaidya passed away in a private hospital here on Saturday, according to official sources.

Vaidya, 97, is survived by his wife Sunanda and eight children, among them are three daughters Vibhavari G. Naik, Pratibha U. Rajhans, Bharti J. Kahu, five sons Dhananjay, Manmohan, Srinivasa, Shashibhushan and Ram, besides a large extended family.