Prime minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh headquarters in Nagpur on the occasion of Gudi Padwa on Sunday is indicative of the fact that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is now once again in sync with the strategy of the RSS. Himself a former “pracharak” of the RSS, this is the first visit of Modi to the Sangh’s headquarters after he became PM ten years ago, and he chose the occasion to liken the RSS to a banyan tree (with all the front organisations, including the BJP, under it.
Even though the BJP is known to be the political wing of the RSS, in the recent past differences had cropped up between the two organisations with Modi getting the upper hand. There was a strong phase of unease between the parent organisation and its political wing over several matters. Matters came to a head when no less a person than BJP president J.P. Nadda, who is known for his proximity to Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah, declared in the run up to the last parliamentary elections that the BJP is not dependent on the RSS. This controversial statement, which resulted in considerable disquiet among Sangh cadres, was perceived in political circles as a move by the BJP to cut its umbilical cord with the mother organisation. The upshot was that the RSS did not campaign as extensively for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections with the result that the party failed to secure a majority of its own despite a high-power campaign centered around Modi. The message was clear – minus the RSS the BJP cannot aspire to capture power. Sources in the RSS said Nadda was summoned by the RSS top brass and pulled up for making the damaging statement. He was also asked at whose behest he made that statement. After Nadda recanted, the RSS decided to work for the BJP in the Haryana and Maharashtra assembly elections. Lakhs of its cadres did massive voter mobilisation with the result that the BJP came to power in both the states.
The RSS then made it clear that henceforth it will call the shots on critical issues. One of the beneficiaries of this assertion the was Devendra Fadnavis. When the latter pulled down the MVA government everyone took it for granted that he would be rewarded with chief minister ship. But Modi and Amit Shah decided to bypass him and pitchfork Eknath Shinde, rebel Shiv Sena leader, as the CM. But this time around, the RSS decided to put its foot down and insisted that Fadnavis be made the CM.
It is learnt that the RSS wants its man to head the BJP in the place of Nadda whose three-year term ended on January 20, 2023, but was extended till June 2024. Since then the party has been unable to find a suitable successor for him. It is learnt that on Sunday this was discussed between Modi and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and senior RSS leader Bhayyu Joshi. The Sangh Parivar is looking for someone who is relatively young with deep roots in the RSS. Union minister Nitin Gadkari, who is a darling of the RSS leadership, is likely to play a crucial role in the selection. The Bihar assembly elections are scheduled to be held in October-November later this year and the RSS is keen on the BJP emerging as the single largest party in the 243-member house. Also, the RSS wants the BJP to push ahead with several key items in its agenda, including CAA, NRS, Wakf Bill and Uniform Civil Code.
