Sangh, BJP peace talks today

Though no formal agenda has been prepared, the issues are clear. The BJP wants an immediate cessation of hostilities by the RSS and its affiliates—VHP, Swadeshi Jagran Manch, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh and Bharatiya Kisan Sangh—against Vajpayee and his government.

And the Sangh is insistent on ‘‘perceptible action’’ on three fronts: terrorism, swadeshi and Ayodhya. The BJP delegation is expected to be led by Vajpayee while RSS Sarsanghchalak K S Sudarshan will head the Sangh team. The presence of Sudarshan is being seen as significant. Known to have strained relations with Vajpayee over various issues, chiefly Ayodhya, Sudarshan stayed away from the last such exercise, held for two days in the last week of April.

The RSS leadership had then advised the BJP to revamp and re-orient itself to make up for the damage done to it by a series of electoral defeats in the states.

The BJP leaders who have been invited to the discussions are Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, Human Resources Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi and party president M Venkaiah Naidu.

There’s a possibility of two other leaders, former party president Kushabhau Thakre and general secretary (organisation) Sanjay Joshi, also joining them. A decision on their participation will be taken by Advani.

Sudarshan will be helped by H V Seshadri, who substituted for the former during the April meeting. It is not yet certain if RSS joint general secretary (BJP affairs) Madan Dass Devi will be present. Sudarshan, who was away on a tour of Himachal Pradesh, has already arrived in the capital and Seshadri is here as well.

A move is on to rope in VHP international working president Ashok Singhal for the proposed talks. There is a catch, though. Having gone to the extent of demanding ‘‘punishment’’ for Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Brajesh Mishra, it is difficult for him to abandon the issue altogether and retreat. On the other end, the Prime Minister is also hurt the most by Singhal’s attacks.