Frontline ·
How a ‘Modi-fied’ BJP has made RSS a minor actor in its own play
After 17 years as sarsanghchalak, Mohan Bhagwat sees the RSS’s moral grip on the BJP at its weakest. With Modi tightening his hold on the party, the RSS may see its ideological goals fulfilled but with no say in the process.
With the Hindu festival of Vijaya Dashami weeks away, all eyes and ears tracking the RSS and its innumerable affiliates are focussed on Reshimbagh Ground, where RSS sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat will deliver the traditional Vijaya Dashami address, as he has since 2009 when he assumed office.
This year’s speech has greater importance for two reasons. First, this Dusshera will mark the completion of the RSS centenary celebrations. Second, and more important, the address is keenly anticipated for the will-he-won’t-he question on his continuance in office. This has given rise to grave uncertainty within the RSS, and has not left the BJP and the Union government unaffected either.
At the heart of this dubiety is the BJP’s “75-year” rule. For more than a decade, this has existed as a prime example of an unwritten organisational norm, used as a tool for generational succession, and political convenience. Bhagwat’s handling of the “rule” reflects how the RSS leadership has navigated, since 2014, the delicate line between upholding organisational principles and accommodating political power.
