By Arun Anand, IANS
New Delhi : The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is buoyed by the stunning victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat and feels the result has proved right its decision to stay away from electoral politics.
And contrary to popular perception, the RSS was never upset with Gujarat Chief Minister and Hindutva poster boy Narendra Modi in any manner but views him like any of its swayamsevaks, or volunteers.
“This victory has vindicated our strategy of maintaining a safe distance from electoral politics and the day-to-day affairs of the BJP,” a senior RSS functionary told IANS, analysing the assembly poll results in Gujarat.
“We never opposed Modi, nor did we support him. We did not ask our cadres to actively participate in electoral politics. We didn’t stop them either. It was their individual decision wherever they campaigned or worked for BJP or Modi,” the functionary, who says organisational rules do not allow him to be named, said.
However, some senior leaders of some of the RSS front organisations did support Modi’s campaign actively and acted as trouble-shooters to ensure that dissidents didn’t cause much damage to him, RSS sources said.
A senior leader of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in fact played a major role in convincing Bharatiya Janshakti Party chief and former BJP leader Uma Bharti to withdraw her candidates in Gujarat at the last moment, benefiting the BJP.
“However this was purely due to personal equations between these leaders and not a part of any organisational strategy,” a senior VHP leader said.
RSS sources said the Gujarat outcome was a shot in the arm for those in the saffron brigade who have advocated that the RSS should not meddle in the routine affairs of the BJP and also stay away from electoral politics.
A policy decision to this effect was taken three years ago by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s top brass in its Haridwar conclave a few months after the BJP received a shock drubbing in the 2004 parliamentary polls.
That loss had come as a rude shock to the RSS as it had played a major role in the party’s poll management.
“We took stock of the situation and realised that during the five years of the BJP-led NDA (National Democratic Alliance) rule, our cadres’ brush with power weakened our organisational structure instead of strengthening it,” admitted a senior RSS functionary.
Post-2004 polls, a section of the RSS brass was still in favour of strengthening its role in BJP’s affairs.
Another section argued that the RSS mandate was not to interfere in political affairs and that it should go to back to the pre-1980 style of functioning when the party’s focus was less on politics and more on social issues.
After much debate, the RSS finally went back to its old mould and gradually increased its distance from the BJP over the last three years.
“We speak now to BJP leaders when we are consulted by them. We stay in touch with the BJP leaders only as fellow cadres. The RSS, as an organisation, has no role to play any more in BJP’s poll management,” an RSS functionary said.
“The victory in Gujarat has vindicated our strategy. As far as Modi is concerned, he has always been a part of the RSS cadre. For us he is just like another swayamsevak (volunteer). We are happy with the Gujarat results.
“But election victories fail to excite us and electoral losses don’t demoralize us,” he added.