RSS to act as bridge between BJP and Sangh affiliates

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat. File.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Coordination between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other Sangh affiliates is becoming a task for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) which just concluded its three-day national meet in Palakkad last week where issues of ‘neglect’ by the government were flagged to BJP president and Union Minister J.P. Nadda.

Days after its meeting, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat cautioned the ‘pracharaks’ that no one should proclaim to have become a god-like figure. He asked RSS volunteers to toil hard and burn like ‘diyas’ and not shine like ‘lightning’.

Also read | The message in the RSS chief’s speech

Mr. Bhagwat’s directions for the Swayamsevaks came after RSS affiliates, in the coordination meeting that took place between August 31 and September 3, had stressed for better coordination and consultation with the BJP. The like-minded organisations maintained that this would ensure better policy decisions by the government.

Speaking to The Hindu, a senior RSS functionary said affiliates such as Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) and Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), pointed out how their ‘genuine’ plans and demands are pending with the government.

“Issues like delayed action on the genetically modified crops, taking a call on the Employee Pension Scheme 1995 were raised by the affiliated organisations in the meeting where BJP chief J.P. Nadda, general secretary organisation B.L. Santosh and joint general secretary organisation Shiv Prakash were present,” he said.

Some of the RSS offshoots pointed out about non-cooperation from the Ministries such as Civil Aviation, which was earlier handled by Jyotiraditya Scindia, who had moved to the BJP from the Congress, and is now with Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu from the Telugu Desam Party.

“We are all brothers. Even if we would not be from the same family, at Sangh, we are taught to first meet and talk and then take the road to protest,” said another RSS leader.

To protest against the Centre’s delay in amending Employee Pension Scheme 1995, BMS is set to launch a nationwide protest on September 19. BKS is also organising a series of protests from September 16 demanding an increase in the MSP for soybean.

The RSS volunteers have already registered their resentment over the remark made by Mr. Nadda during the Lok Sabha election when he had said that the BJP is capable enough and does not need the Sangh anymore.

“We believe that mazdoor sangh, kisan sangh that have over 2.5 crore members across India have more sense of voters’ mood on the ground than the bureaucrats guiding the party in AC offices. Our voices will only help the party,” said another functionary.

Mr. Bhagwat, who spoke at length about coordination in Palakkad, stressed that even after differences, all Sangh affiliates must put the nation first.

On September 5, two days after the Palakkad meeting, Mr. Bhagwat, who was speaking at an event organised in the memory of Shankar Dinkar Kane, said the country is not running only because of some ‘mahapurush’ (great men) but common people have equal contribution. “When someone would refer to me as a god-like person, I will pause, take a deep breath and reflect,” he told the gathering.

“People who are achievers sometimes aspire to dazzle like lightning. But after lightning strikes, it becomes even darker than before. Therefore, workers should burn like diyas and shine when necessary,” the RSS chief said.

When asked about the problems in coordination between its other affiliates and the BJP, RSS publicity in-charge Sunil Ambekar said the organisation has room for opinions, discussions and betterment.

“Coordination is an ongoing and a continuous process in the Sangh. We keep discussing issues and try to resolve them. If we discuss 10 matters, we land on same page on six of them and may have different opinions on four. But we do everything keeping nation in mind,” he said.