‘Arrogance limited BJP to 241 seats, opposition to Ram limited INDIA bloc to 234’: Senior RSS leader

“It is not strange… Those who worshipped Lord Ram but became arrogant were stopped at 241… Those who did not have faith in Lord Ram were stopped at 234 saying this is the punishment for your lack of faith and you will not succeed,” Kumar said.

The RSS, however, sought to distance itself from observations made by Indresh Kumar with a senior Sangh leader saying this was not the official stand of the organisation. The leader also said all was well between the RSS and the BJP and suggestions of RSS workers not hitting the streets during the polls were completely untrue.

The leader, however, did concede that RSS workers felt demoralised due to the statements made by BJP chief J P Nadda, which suggested that the political party did not need the RSS anymore to win elections.

“Indresh ji is a senior leader. It is difficult to openly counter what he says. But these are not the views of the Sangh,” a senior RSS leader said.

He added that even the views expressed by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Tuesday in Nagpur were not a reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi but a general comment on how any RSS worker must behave.

“Whatever Nadda ji said did have an adverse impact on the morale of swayamsevaks. The way those statements were perceived, it appeared that ‘anarth ho gaya (it was a disaster)’. But a regular swayamsevak is mature enough to not flinch from his duty. The Sangh’s goal is far larger than an election,” the leader said.

The RSS functionary said the organisation’s workers and leaders held close to 20 lakh public meetings across the country to ensure voting. “The rumours that RSS did not help the BJP in the polls are absolutely false. Yes, we did not distribute poll pamphlets like we used to do earlier as the nature of elections has changed and this was a decision made beforehand,” he said.

The leader said a comprehensive review of the poll results was yet to be done. Sources said the Sangh would hold its annual ‘Samnvay Baithak’ (Executive Council Meeting) in Kerala’s Palakkad in August-September and poll results along with other issues may be discussed there. The meeting is likely to see participation from some key BJP leaders, including Rajnath Singh.

Kumar also touched upon the BJP’s embarrassing loss in Ayodhya months after the consecration of the Ram Temple. “Those who oppose Lord Ram are automatically punished by God. So, Lallu Singh, who had unleashed tyranny on the people, was told by Lord Ram to take rest for the next five years,” Kumar said.

Lallu Singh was the BJP’s Ayodhya MP who lost to the Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate in these polls. The Ram Temple had been a major poll plank of the BJP in recently concluded elections.

It was Singh who was among the first to raise the bogey of possible changes in the Constitution if the NDA came to power with 400 seats. This was later repeated by other BJP Lok Sabha candidates, including Arun Govil, who won from Meerut. The issue was picked up by the Opposition and repeatedly underlined by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in his speeches. It is speculated that this pushed the Dalit and underprivileged classes away from the BJP, leading to the saffron party’s humiliating defeat in Uttar Pradesh.

Indresh Kumar said Lord Ram does not discriminate and does not punish. “Ram does not make anyone lament. Ram gives justice to everyone. He gives and will keep on giving. Lord Ram was always just and will remain so,” he said.