Saffron in turmoil

The BJP is not the only organisation in crisis. The patriarch of the Sangh parivar, the RSS, is in turmoil too with pracharaks clamouring for a transfer to the greener pastures of the BJP.

The change sweeping through the RSS surfaced at a recent meeting of workers near Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh. During a discussion on the BJP, a senior leader suddenly popped a poser. How many pracharaks want a lateral shift to the BJP, he asked.

To everyone’s surprise, the majority of those present raised their hands. Infuriated that his pracharaks seemed to prefer working for the political wing instead of the parent body, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat upbraided the leader for posing the question.

What kind of a query was that, he barked. But Bhagwat may find that he’s fighting a losing battle. Politics and the material benefits it brings are proving irresistible even for those sworn to selfless social commitment. At this rate, the BJP could end up having the last laugh in its ongoing tussle with the RSS for supremacy.
*   *   *
Oldtimers in the BJP are not quite sure what to make of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. They are used to sarsanghchalaks who kept away from public limelight and exercised control through the power of moral authority. But Bhagwat is straining to be a creature of the 21st century. He has already done two television interviews and regularly gives soundbytes in front of cameras.

He is constantly on the move and seems to enjoy addressing public gatherings. He has held three such meetings in Delhi alone since he took over the reins of the RSS a few months ago. That’s a record for any sarsanghchalak. What’s upsetting oldtimers is that all this exposure is giving away a closely guarded secret, that the RSS is losing its appeal. Bhagwat’s most recent meeting in Delhi was attended by less than 100 people.
*   *   *
Despite Bhagwat’s fulminations against “Delhi-based’’ leaders and his announcement that the next BJP president will be chosen from outside the “coterie”  that rules in the Capital, the RSS can’t seem to find a candidate for the post.

The two state leaders approached so far, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Manohar Parrikar from Goa, have declined the offer. The latest name doing the rounds is that of Maharashtra BJP president Nitin Gadkari. But even that is not final as the RSS is not sure that Gadkari has the stature to become a national leader or that he has the capacity to handle the cut and thrust of Delhi politics.

The way things are going, Rajnath Singh may get his heart’s desire in an ad hoc extension because of the TINA (there is no alternative) factor. If Rajnath stays put, so will L K Advani as Leader of Opposition. And the RSS will be back to square one in its bid to overhaul the BJP.
* * *
TAILPIECE
While the Yeddyurappa government in Karnataka was gasping, the RSS seemed to be blissfully unaware of the crisis. A senior RSS leader telephoned Arun Jaitley as the latter was leaving for Bangalore to do some firefighting. He wanted to know whether Jaitley was in Delhi. When Jaitley replied that he was on his way to Bangalore, the RSS leader nodded sagely. Ah, he said, must be for a political programme and asked what it was. Jaitley had to explain that he was going for something more serious than a mere ``karyakram’’!