Former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah took a dig at the RSS over its coordination meeting with the BJP and questioned how it could be called a ‘social organisation’. “So the RSS is doing a 3-day performance appraisal of the Modi government. Anyone else want to tell me that they are a ‘social organisation’?” he tweeted.
There was speculation that the demand for ‘one rank, one pension’ (OROP), over which ex-servicemen have been agitating in the national Capital was discussed on the sidelines of the three-day coordination meeting.
Governance issues such as the Land Bill and the Patel reservation agitation in Gujarat and recent census figures are also on the list of items to be deliberated. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the event on its last day (Friday).
Wednesday’s deliberations were attended by Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, Manohar Parrikar, Venkaiah Naidu, Anant Kumar besides party chief Amit Shah and some other ministers.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat presided over the meeting, which was attended by representatives of 15 Sangh associates – Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Swadeshi Jagaran Manch and Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangathan. BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav, who has been deputed by the RSS to the party, said there would be no discussion on OROP, adding that the government is seized of the matter.
“The meeting is about how we should move ahead into the future. It’s not about any review of the government or any policy and programmes,” he said. Sources said <g data-gr-id="21">government</g> would be given a feedback over the issues before it but it would not be any threadbare analysis of any specific programme or policy. There was a feeling among the participants in the meeting that the contentious OROP issue should be resolved at the earliest, considering that it is an issue dear to the Sangh Parivar.