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Journalism of Courage
Narendra Modi8217;s unprecedented electoral victory is all set to rewrite equations within the BJP as well as between the party and the larger Sangh Parivar, with the RSS now indicating its willingness to reach out to the Gujarat strongman.
The role of the RSS in the run-up to the Gujarat elections and its future relationship with the BJP was discussed between Sarsanghchalak K S Sudershan and the BJP8217;s prime ministerial candidate L K Advani last Friday, with both sides trying to understand each other8217;s concerns.
Given the huge margin of Modi8217;s victory and the national impact of the Gujarat elections, the RSS will have to do a reality check on its relevance in the current political climate in the BJP.
After tasting victory, Narendra Modi went to the state Sangh office in Ahmedabad, and the mood there was distinctly different. Unlike last time, a warm welcome awaited him.
Still, while the central party leadership is keen that the RSS should continue to be a force-multiplier for the BJP, it will find it very difficult to convince Modi, who was rebuffed by the Sangh. The fact is that Modi had personally sought Sudershan8217;s support before the Gujarat elections, but the Sangh Parivar was non-committal at best. Matters took a turn for the worse when the RSS asked Modi to pay obeisance to 14 pracharaks at the peak of the first-phase election campaign in case he wanted Sangh cadres to be active in campaigning. Modi refused to toe the line and it was left to Gujarat election in-charge Arun Jaitley to mend fences with the Sangh.
While the Sangh found Modi arrogant and dismissive of the relevance of the Parivar, it could not and did not want to abandon the Gujarat Chief Minister. Matters were sorted out after Jaitley met Mukund Rao Panshikar, the RSS in-charge of Gujarat and Maharashtra, on December 1 and requested Sangh cadre to come out in support of the BJP.
This meeting took place at the behest of RSS No. 2 Mohan Rao Bhagwat and No. 3 Suresh Soni, who realised that the Sangh would not gain if Modi lost the Gujarat battle. So apart from VHP general secretary Pravin Togadia and a couple of district pracharaks, the rest toed the Sangh directions and at least stopped the negative campaign against the Chief Minister.
The election victory today may strengthen the argument that the BJP should cut the umbilical chord with the Sangh, but the central party leadership does not favour this as the Parivar forces would be needed in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, where the party faces huge anti-incumbency.
It is not only the relationship with the Sangh that stands to be redefined but also within the BJP, the triumvirate of Advani, Modi and Jaitley will gain ascendency in party affairs. BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and Murli Manohar Joshi were conspicuous by their absence today. There are strong chances that while Modi will remain in Gujarat till the State Golden Jubilee celebrations of 2010, Jaitley may be made the national election campaign manager for the forthcoming general election.
