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RSS, BJP leaders meet ahead of coordination meeting in Kerala
RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale and joint general secretary Arun Kumar were present at the meeting along with BJP president JP Nadda and Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh.
Top leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) met on Sunday to discuss a host of organisational issues, including the need for better synergy between the party and the organisation. The RSS is the ideological mentor of the BJP.
The marathon meeting also had leaders taking stock of the developments unfolding in neighbouring Bangladesh, where minorities have been under attack since the sudden fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, people aware of the details said.
RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale and joint general secretary Arun Kumar were present at the meeting along with BJP president JP Nadda and Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh. The meeting, a periodic interaction between the leaders, comes ahead of a crucial coordination meeting of the RSS in Kerala from August 31 to September 2.
The party will be represented by Nadda at the Kerala meeting that will take stock of the outcome of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the overall political and social scenario in the country and on the need for better coordination between the Sangh and the party.
With Nadda’s term over, the Sangh and the party leaders are also expected to arrive at a name to replace him as party president. According to a person privy to the details, the Sangh’s sanction is crucial for picking the new party chief.
The need for “better interface” between the party and the Sangh, and improved coordination for decision making has been flagged following the dip in the BJP’s performance in the Lok Sabha polls, the person cited above said.
Although the party formed the government at the Centre for a third consecutive term with support from allies, the BJP’s reduced strength in the Lok Sabha — from 303 in 2019 to 240 this year — has to some extent been attributed to the “disconnect” between the cadre of the Sangh and the party leadership, the person quoted above said.
“There is coordination between the Sangh and the BJP on larger issues. The (BJP) leadership has been emphatic that they will not deviate from the ideological position, but there have been some concerns over communication, for which improved synergy has been suggested,” the person said.
The reset in the interface between the Sangh and the BJP is crucial for the upcoming set of assembly polls in Haryana, Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir, and Jharkhand.
“The BJP and Sangh’s network is well established in Maharashtra, but owing to the changed political equations in the state, there is some disturbance on the ground which will need to be addressed. The BJP will be more dependent on the Sangh’s volunteers in the state... Similarly, in Haryana and Jharkhand too, where SC and ST communities are being swayed by a certain narrative, there will be need for a coordinated effort,” said a second person aware of the details.
The BJP is hopeful that the Union government’s clarification that there will be no ‘creamy layer’ within the SC and ST quotas will put to rest the controversy over reservation and will take the sting out of the opposition’s narrative that the BJP intends to alter the existing caste-based quotas.
The Sangh is mindful of the issues related to caste, such as the demand for a caste census, being stoked by political parties and the impact it can have on deepening fissures. In response to a question on whether the Sangh has made suggestions on how the BJP should address the sensitive issue, a senior Sangh functionary said, “We are concerned, cautious and active...”
The issue of Hindus being attacked in Bangladesh also came up at the Sunday meeting. Following reports of violence against Hindus in Bangladesh, Hosabale last week issued a statement urging the Bangladesh government to take cognisance of the attacks.
“We expect the interim government (of Bangladesh) to take strict action and stop such incidents. Also, the govt must make proper arrangements to protect the lives and honour of the victims,” he said in a post on X.
