RSS headquarters will have a Red Letter day on March 30, 2025 - Sunday.
Narendra Modi , a former Pracharak of the Sanghparivar fountainhead, will visit RSS headquarters at Nagpur and he will be the first Indian Pradhan Mantri to do so.
Of course the visit is largely taken as an "attempt" from both sides especially Namo to put to rest the tension between the BJP and the RSS. It all started some months back, got exemplified when J P Nadda during the election campaign for 2024 claimed his party (BJP) does not need any organisational support from the RSS as it had grown up enough to handle political and electoral challenges.
None in the Sangh took the comment lightly; and perhaps could not do so either.
Most BJP leaders take a refrain -- "dekhiye kya hota hae (Let us see how it turns out)". Some would rather ask journalists - "aap ko kya lagta hae (As media people what have you all heard)".
Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule for his part made it clear there is nothing “political” about the visit to Nagpur.
Drama has just begun.
All these and more will be happening in a season when the BJP was already supposed to have picked up its new national president replacing Nadda - now also Union Health Minister and Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha.
Several names were reportedly considered for new party chief.
But the general understanding goes -- the new party president from the Modi-Amit Shah perspective "ought to" fit in their scheme of things.
In the past, party insiders have shared enough anecdotes to strengthen one fact that Nadda was not quite willing to take 'small decisions' independently.
Besides throwing up names on who all were "meritorious and talented" to be BJP president; social media and even mainstream media circulated a theory (or speculation) that perhaps Sanjay Joshi could be RSS's choice as BJP president.
As per this blogger's reading of things. This name is near impossible. When Sanjay Joshi was given prominence in the party organisation once --- Modi as Gujarat Chief Minister had declined to campaign for the Lotus party in Uttar Pradesh state assembly polls.
BJP sources say during his visit the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of the Madhav Netralaya Premium Centre building.
Much important messaging will be both Modi and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat will share the stage on the occasion.
For sometime, it was being speculated that perhaps Mohan Bhagwat - also a candid and often a 'bitter' talker; would give the occasion a slip.
Modi and other top RSS leaders will also visit the Hedgewar Smruti Mandir, which is the RSS headquarters.
Another vital messaging will be PM and other leaders will visit Deekshabhoomi, where B R Ambedkar had embraced Buddhism.
The Hedgewar Smruti Mandir houses memorials dedicated to RSS founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar and the organisation’s second sarsanghchalak M S Golwalkar.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee had visited the memorials in 2007 while attending the centenary celebrations for Golwalkar, but then he was already 'a former Prime Minister'
Now it will be relevant to talk about RSS-Vajpayee relationship. Of course, there were disputes and disagreements and yet each time the former Prime Minister's ruling prevailed. It is said Vajpayee’s foreign policy, the firmness with which he kept the Sangh out of political decision making and his outreach to the minorities were distant from the RSS’s positions.
In the wake of post-Godhra mayhem in 2002, Vajpayee had angrily said - "mein kaun sa mooh leke (With what face can I go abroad now)".
Reports also suggested that between Vajpayee and L K Advani (alter ego we can say), the latter prevailed and Modi was allowed to continue. Rest is history.
The Sangh’s open criticism of Vajpayee's economic policies and his non-committal approach towards the construction of a Ram Temple on a disputed site in Ayodhya set him up for criticism, but his ideological moorings remained unwavering.
Modi has been much hard-liner from media (or opposition's point of view) but that way the incumbent Prime Minister has been truly 'Swayamsevak'.
The Modi regime ensured a favourable judgement for the construction of the Ram temple and also abrogated Article 370. Even for the third contentious issue, the Uniform Civil Code, several BJP-ruled states have taken decisive steps.
संघ चुनावों के नतीजों की परवाह नहीं करता: भागवत
मोहन भागवत ने कहा- आरएसएस हर 5 साल में आने वाले जनादेश के कारणों और परिणामों की परवाह नहीं करता है। संघ हर चुनाव में जनमत को परिष्कृत करने के लिए काम करता है, इस बार भी किया, लेकिन नतीजों के विश्लेषण में उलझता नहीं, लोग क्यों चुने जाते हैं? संसद में जाने के लिए, विभिन्न मुद्दों पर सहमति बनाने के लिए। हमारी परंपरा सहमति बनाने की है। यह एक प्रतियोगिता है, युद्ध नहीं। (reported in a Hindi daily in June 2024)
Essentially the RSS chief had said - "The Sangh did take part in the general elections to facilitate people give their mandate and do so openly and frankly; but the Sangh did not indulge in post-poll analyses of the results".
Speaking at an event at Kanota near Jaipur on June 13 (2024), vocal RSS leader Indresh Kumar has said, "Those who did bhakti of Lord Ram gradually became arrogant. That party was declared the biggest party but were stopped at 241 by Lord Ram due to arrogance."
Now other highlights we must take note of:
** After the BJP got a thumping majority in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and Modi became the PM for the first time, Mohan Bhagwat himself had called on him in Delhi.
** Both Modi and Bhagwat have shared various public stages together, Of course the Ram temple inauguration on Jan 22, 2024 was a mega occasion by itself.
** In February, 2025, while attending the three-day 98th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, he likened the RSS to a “vat vriksh (grand banyan tree)”.
The RSS has inspired “lakhs like me” to “live for our country”, Modi said.
In a recent podcast with Lex Friedman; Mod lauded RSS yet again and said: "....... understanding RSS is not that simple. One must make an effort to truly grasp the nature of its work. More than anything, the RSS provides you with a clear direction toward what can truly be called a purpose in life.
Secondly, the nation is everything, and serving the people is akin to serving God … To my knowledge, they run approximately 125,000 service projects without any government assistance".
Who may become next BJP president is important but need not be a crucial episode.
How the March 30 stage is shared by two doyens and what message(s) really come out will be much more important.
ends
True. Signalling through messages will be more important than personality. Also may indicate who is and will "massage" whom and or it will be सह (joint) ऑइलिंग on slippery slope. -- Mr Lele, Maharashtra
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