By Harihar Swarup
Mohan Bhagwat has made yet another of his cryptic statements that is being seen in political circles as yet another criticism of Narendra Modi. This time the RSS sarsanghchalk has alluded, again without saying it in so many words, to the Prime Minister’s claim, during Lok Sabha poll campaign that he was an “instrument for God to get things done”.
At a meeting in Pune recently Bhagwat said “We should not consider ourselves as God. Let people decide if there is God in you”. Modi had told an interviewer during his poll campaign. “When my mother was alive, I used to believe that I was born biologically. After she passed away, I was convinced, that the God has sent me. The energy could not come from biology body, but was bestowed upon me by God….I am an instrument for God to get things done”.
Bhagwat’s latest statement, the third such thing indirect criticism of PM after the Lok Sabha elections, came surprisingly after the RSS’s annual meeting in Palakkad, Kerala, also attended by senior BJP leaders such as J P Nadda and B L Santosh. Earlier, an equally high-level interaction had taken place at Defense Minister Rajnath Singh’s residence, attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Nadda, and RSS leaders. Bhagwat’s latest salvo indicated that for all the meetings, not all the issues between Sangh and its political arm had been sorted out.
Even as Modi has implemented the RSS’s hard core agenda — Ram temple, Article 370 abrogation, triple Talaq, moving towards a Uniform Civil code– RSS leaders have had reservation about his style of functioning. They call that “vyaktivaad” (personality cult) and excessive power in the hands of one leader. During the parliamentary elections, RSS workers did not work for the BJP as enthusiastically as in earlier polls. Some attribute it to the complacency set in by the “400 par” slogan. Nadda’s remarks that the party no longer needed handholding by the Sangh led to furore amongst RSS leaders.
Yet, neither can the BJP do without the RSS nor can the Sangh do without the party. The RSS will hardly wish for the Congress to return or the Opposition to dismantle what the BJP has put in place; among other things, people in key positions in government, and academia to carry forward its ideas and its “civilization” project.
Admitting that it had difficulties with the BJP, the RSS said after Palakkad meeting that these would be sorted out “within the family”. The immediate issue before the BJP and the Sangh leadership is who will become the party President after Nadda and Bhagwat’s statement is being seen as an attempt to pressure the BJP brass on this. (IPA
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