Mumbai, June 11
The RSS is called the ideological mentor of the Bharatiya Janata Party. However, the recent remarks by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and BJP chief JP Nadda indicate a growing distance between the two ideologically aligned organisations. There have been reports that the BJP did not pay heed to the suggestions from the RSS for candidate selection which led to the poll debacle in Uttar Pradesh. The BJP and the RSS have worked closely on multiple elections so far and have mostly achieved the desired results. Now, it seems that some leaders of both organisations are not happy with each other.
During the Lok Sabha elections, BJP chief JP Nadda said that the saffron party is now self-sufficient in contesting polls and doesn’t need the RSS’s help. Nadda said that the RSS is a cultural and social organisation and BJP is a political organisation. This statement has irked many RSS leaders.
Now, after the poll results were declared and the BJP fell short of the majority mark, a statement came from the RSS raising indirect questions on the conduct of the BJP, Narendra Modi and the opposition.
While RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat did not name anyone, his remarks can be seen in the recent poll perspective and can be linked to Narendra Modi.
Addressing RSS workers during the Karyakarta Vikas Varg training programme, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said that a true sevak (one who serves) doesn’t have arrogance. “One who is true sevak, one who can be called real sevak, he follows maryada (decorum)…One who works by following the decorum gets the work done but doesn’t get attached to it. There is no arrogance in him that he got the work done. Only such a person has the right to be called a sevak,” said Bhagwat.
It may be noted that during the poll campaign, opposition parties including Congress have accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being arrogant and functioning like a dictator.
The RSS chief also indirectly accused both the political parties (BJP and the Congress) of not maintaining poll decorum and raising issues that created divisions in the society.
He also indirectly accused the Congress of spreading misinformation about the RSS. Talking about the Manipur violence, Bhagwat said that people there are living in social disharmony. Bhagwat said that Manipur is still burning and it’s a duty (of the government) to deal with the issue on a priority.
