Anil Anand
There was a slice of hope for BJP-PDP coalition Government in Jammu and Kashmir particularly chief minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed reflected in the recently concluded Sangh Parivar face-to-face with Narendra Modi Government. The Mufti who is currently facing the toughest political challenge of his life could derive some solace from the sudden and startling stand of the RSS top brass in giving their nod for normalisation of relations with Pakistan.
The chief minister a thorough follower of his ex-boss and former Prime Minister V P Singh’s advice describing politics as an art of exploring probabilities and resolving contradictions has a reason to cheer at least for the time being. Somewhere deep down in his heart he must be visualising some vindication of the VP model of politics in RSS turnaround from its founding principle of ‘Akhand Bharat’ to visualising Pakistan as a brother-state. So to say, it is a step towards resolving contradictions with RSS at the helm.
After months of wait, following the formation of the coalition Government, the Mufti has something to claim in terms of being instrumental to make RSS see reason in the context of Indo-Pak relations. A thoroughbred politician he has the knack to create opportunities and utilise whenever these occur for his political benefits.
Will he be able to encash the RSS change of heart at a place where he is finding it hard to sell his alliance with the RSS’s political arm; the BJP? It will be a real test case on two counts. Firstly, whether he can muster courage to count the virtues of RSS and secondly how long would the Sangh Parivar stick to their new found description of Pakistan.
Toning down the RSS’s pathological hatred towards Pakistan and giving it the nuance of an estranged brother in the mould of Kaurvas and Pandvas is certainly a welcome move. It is definitely not a knee-jerk reaction but a well-thought off strategy to view the sub-continental issues through a different prism but with the same old motive. At best the narrative has changed the purpose remains the same.
It was corroborated by none other than the RSS ideologues who spanned over various news channels the same evening when their parent organisation supported Modi Government’s efforts at talking to Pakistan. There was a visible unease among some of these ideologues in defending the changed stance of the RSS till a prominent among them spilled the beans in the heat of discussion on a national news channel.
The most prominent RSS ideologue omnipresent on news channels and defending the organisation with full vigour is Dr Rakesh Sinha, a Delhi University professor. Interestingly his Ph D dissertation is based on political ideas of RSS founder Dr K B Hedgewar.
This prelude is imperative to explain his defence of the RSS’s new theory and subsequent about-turn to talk about the ‘Akhand Bharat’. The footnote at the end of his aggressive argument stated: “Akhand Bharat to hona hi hai chahe so saal ke baad ho,” said it all.
The purpose of this recollection is certainly not to doubt the RSS’s new narrative which in fact is a welcome change. But the idea is to test its real veracity and motive. And Dr Sinha let the rabbit out of the proverbial hat sooner than even his RSS bosses had expected. Later, he was followed by some of his fellow ideologues expressing similar views but in different modes.
Everyone including the Mufti, who would have liked to see some positivity in RSS supporting a dialogue with Pakistan, should take it with abundant caution. The onus of proving their credentials on this front would squarely lie on the RSS leadership. In order to instil and build confidence among the BJP leadership and allies such as the PDP in regard to dealing with Pakistan, they will have to take measures which are supportive of their new found intent.
The three day Sangh Parivar interaction held in the heart of Delhi had a fair share of controversies and surprises, its changed stance towards Pakistan being the one. It has once for all redefined the RSS’s relationship with its political arm the BJP. The oft-repeated argument by both RSS and BJP leaders describing the parent body as apolitical and a nationalist socio-cultural outfit is in the throes of a self-inflicted defeat. It is welcome if it is a course correction and admission to the extent that BJP seeks its political strength from the RSS.
The very selection of Delhi as the venue of this interaction is in itself a vindication of the political nature of relationship the RSS and BJP are bound together. Summoning the Government to a non-descript state guest house from the lofty power-centre of Raisina Hills dealt a psychological impact with a clear message that who dictates and who follows.
Dr Sinha and his fellow ideologues did everything possible and used every argument to dispel the theory that the meeting was not meant to take stock of the Modi Government’s performance. However, they could not convince as to why Mr Modi and most of his senior Ministers bee-lined to present themselves before a group of RSS leaders and ground level pracharaks.
It left none in any doubt that the RSS not only holds the remote control but it also has the power to stop and checkmate the BJP and its led Government. And hence the significance of being the RSS with a net of ground level workers spread all over the country.
To be fair to Mr Modi and his dispensation, they fully well know this significance of the RSS particularly when an election is round the corner. It is certainly not a bad idea to play around with the RSS sentiment, offer them a higher pedestal even if that meant Prime Minister and his top Ministers paying obeisance and even getting a harsh critique about their performance.
There could have been no better venue than Delhi which is not only the power centre but also a media hub so as to give the event a desired nationwide flash. And there could have been no better occasion to hold the meet on the eve of all important Bihar Assembly elections. Is not it a win-win situation for BJP and RSS?
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