Amid reports of RSS-BJP friction, RSS chief Bhagwat meets with UP CM Adityanath in Gorakhpur
New Delhi: After Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Mohan Bhagwat’s recent remark that a ``true sevak could not be arrogant’’ brought to centre-stage questions about growing rift between RSS and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the focus turned on a meeting on Saturday between RSS chief and U.P. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Gorakhpur.
Dubbed as a “courtesy meet”, it coincides with Bhagwat’s visit for an RSS event in the home town of Yogi Adityanath. The meeting assumes significance as it takes place only a week after Bhagwat’s critical speech in Nagpur.
Last week, Bhagwat stressed on the need for consensus between the ruling side and the Opposition so that work for common good (of the masses) can be carried out. Elections are to gain majority and it is a competition and not war, Bhagwat said while making general observation after the outcome of the Lok Sabha polls.
Amid the ongoing debate on RSS chief’s remarks, senior RSS functionary Indresh Kumar said in a function near Jaipur that ``people restricted the arrogant party to 240 seats’’ and those who opposed Ram Temple were halted at even lesser number of Lok Sabha seats. In a damage control exercise, RSS functionaries let it be known that Indresh Kumar was making these remarks in his personal capacity and these did not represent the view of the RSS, the ideological mentor of the BJP. However, BJP chief J P Nadda’s remark during elections that the party did not need Sangh anymore did not go well with the RSS workers who felt demoralised and may not have been visible on the ground this time. A section of political leaders, including those in the Opposition, believe that Bhagwat’s remarks that “true sevak is never arrogant”, were a message to the BJP leadership as the party failed to secure majority in the Lok Sabha on its own, others point out that Bhagwat had made somewhat similar observations after the previous Lok Sabha polls but ruled out differences between RSS and the BJP.
On the other hand, though Bhagwat-Yogi meeting in Gorakhpur was known in the public domain, there was no official word about it from the communication channels of the U.P. government.
Sources said that RSS chief and U.P. Chief Minister reviewed the BJP’s electoral performance in the state which sends 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha and is crucial in the strategic scheme of things if a party aspires to stake a claim to form the government at the Centre.
Also on the table, sources say, is a plan to expand RSS network in U.P. with an eye on the 2027 Assembly polls when Yogi Adityanath will complete a decade in office. Another subject that may have come up for discussion is the way to keep the core voters of the BJP intact and expand the base with the inclusion of weaker and backward sections who were not inclined towards the BJP in this election.
On its part, the RSS top brass has given enough indication that its observations, particularly about the situation in Manipur over the past one year, were warning signals for the ruling BJP, it remains to be seen how the BJP responds in the coming weeks on the issues of governance. Though there are no ideological differences between the RSS and the BJP, the ruling party has an important task at hand – choosing its new party president and the choice will also determine to what extent the views of the RSS are accommodated by the all powerful duo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home minister Amit Shah.
