NEW DELHI : The high-level meet of the BJP and RSS entered the second day today amid criticism by the Opposition parties, accusing the saffron outfit of being henpecked by the RSS on the issues of national importance.
Senior leaders such as BJP president Amit Shah, Health Minister J P Nadda, Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Ananth Kumar converged on the meeting venue early in the morning to resume brainstorming on key issues with other leaders who were still on their way.
Congress leader Manish Tewari charged the BJP with running on the whims and fancies of the RSS. “The BJP leadership is dancing to the tune of the RSS. This meeting has exposed that.” Senior BJP leader Ram Madhav vehemently rejected the charge that the BJP government was being “puppeteered” by the RSS.
“All the constituents members of Sangh Parivar have been traditionally meeting on issues of national importance for years. There nothing new in it,” he said.
Congress also accused the BJP of being under pressure of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad(VHP) and compromising its election agenda which did not include building Ram Mandir.
“When this issue was not in their election manifesto, then how it has come up in this meeting,” Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi asked.
Taking a dig, JDU leader Ali Anwar said,”Ye unka Ram-prem nahi, kursi-prem jhalkata hai, jo har baar chunav se pehle jaag uthta hai(this is not the reflection of their love of Ram but love of the seat, which wakes up before every election.”
However the BJP rejected the charge. “I have repeatedly said Ram Mandir is not the topic of deliberations in this meeting at least, though it is indeed a matter of national importance,” Mr Madhav clarified.
Religion census, Ganga rejuvenation, national security, and education are expected to dominate the deliberations today. The BJP has formally denied the issue of One Rank One Pension having been taken up in the meeting yesterday. (AGENCIES)
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