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Journalism of Courage
The RSS on Monday conceded there were “issues” between the BJP and the Sangh but brushed them aside as a “family matter” that would be resolved through discussions.
“RSS is completing 100 years. It is a long journey. Functional matters come up in the long journey. We have a mechanism to overcome those functional issues. Our formal and informal meetings go on. You can see the history of 100 years, that is the answer to all these questions,” RSS publicity in charge Sunil Ambekar said when asked about a lack of coordination between the BJP and the Sangh. He was addressing the media on the last day of the three-day Akhil Bharatiya Samnvay Baithak of the RSS held in Palakkad, Kerala.
Ambekar also hinted that issues of coordination and the supposed lack of enthusiasm of the RSS cadre during the recent Lok Sabha polls, following BJP president J P Nadda’s statement about the party being “self-sufficient”, were discussed at the meeting. “Other issues will be resolved. It is a family matter. A three-day baithak has taken place and everyone has participated. Everything is going well,” Ambekar said.
While fielding questions on the Sangh-BJP rift, Ambekar did not deny the supposed lack of coordination between the two organisations even once. This is the first time that the Sangh has openly admitted to there being issues between the two organisations.
The RSS leader argued that it was important that both the BJP and the RSS were on the same page as far as their core beliefs and goals were concerned. “In long journeys, one thing is always assured … RSS means Rashtra Sarvopari (nation first). Every swayamsevak believes that the Rashtra is sanatan, that it is eternal. In future, it has the potential to rise. So, we are all dedicated to the service of the nation. This is the basic premise of the RSS and the rest of the things are merely functional issues. So, all organisations believe in this and practise it,” Ambekar said.
Asked if the BJP was not getting enough RSS pracharaks at the organisation level, Ambekar said, “There are so many RSS swayamsevaks and pracharaks in the BJP. Even now also. So how does this issue come up? How to place and where to place (a pracharak) is the domain of the RSS. There are so many criteria for that. It is a well-practised system. There are no issues.”
The statements are significant since the meeting saw the attendance of J P Nadda over two days where he met with the top leaders of the Sangh. This was the first time since his statement that Nadda had a detailed discussion with the entire top brass of the Sangh, including RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Ironing out differences between the parent organisation and the political arm will be crucial in the coming Assembly elections in Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, and Maharashtra, where the BJP is facing tough fights.
In an interview to The Indian Express during the Lok Sabha elections, Nadda said the party did not need the RSS anymore as it was now “saksham (self-sufficient)”. This is said to have demoralised RSS workers on the ground who did not mobilise voters with the expected enthusiasm, resulting in poor results for the BJP.
