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Journalism of Courage
NEW DELHI, March 18: The occasion was the release of a stamp on the 110th birth anniversary of Rashtriya Swayamevak Sangh RSS founder Keshav Baliram Hegdewar at Vigyan Bhawan at 9.30 this morning. Coming as it did, one day before the BJP government8217;s first anniversary, there were several political signals.
If the sight of the top RSS leadership showering praise on Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee raised a few eyebrows, what was more conspicuous was the absence of Home Minister L K Advani and Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi, both known to be more close to the Sangh than the Prime Minister.
The absentees 8212; Advani and Joshi 8212; were not available for comment. However, Joshi8217;s private secretarysaid that the minister had to preside over an official function at 10 am to mark the beginning of the 8220;Indian New Year8221; and hence could not make it to the stamp function.
The official explanation given by Advani8217;s office was that the Home Minister was 8220;preoccupied due to a series of engagements.8221; However, it is learnt that Advani8217;s first official engagement was at 10.30 am in Parliament House when a delegation of 13 MPs from the North-East called on him. He had come to his chambers in Parliament House before 10 am.
While the absence of Advani and Joshi is a matter of speculation, what is clear is that the RSS, ever since its Nagpur meeting, has decided that it needs to back Vajpayee if only to ensure that the ruling coalition doesn8217;t fall apart.
So Vajpayee got a word of praise for his Lahore bus journey and kudos from the Swadeshi Jagran Manch for the Budget. Sat Narain Bansal, head of the RSS operations in North India said that had it not been for Vajpayee, the Hegdewar stamp wouldn8217;t have beenthere. RSS chief Rajendra Singh said that Vajpayee had written a letter to then Communications Minister Arjun Singh 10 years ago that a stamp be released on the 100th anniversary of the RSS founder. But the file was lost and later he was told by Arjun Singh to take it up with the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The plan was abandoned. 8220;It had to be done by Vajpayee himself 10 years later,8221; he added.
S V Seshadri and K S Sudarshan, the other two RSS stalwarts, also complimented Vajpayee and hoped that the government would fulfil the goals set by the organisation. Vajpayee responded saying that the unfinished task would be accomplished. Describing Hedgewar as a 8220;great patriot, freedom fighter and a brilliant nationalist,8221; the Prime Minister said the RSS leader had devoted every moment of his life and every part of his body to the service of the nation.
