"Speculation": RSS Sources On Talk Of 'Rift' With BJP After Chief's Remarks

The RSS on Friday sought to quell the suggestions of its rift with the BJP and that Mohan Bhagwat's recent critical references related to the Lok Sabha polls were aimed at the ruling party, insisting that such claims are just speculation meant to create confusion.

RSS sources also noted that their organisation's three-day annual coordination meeting with its affiliates, including the BJP, is scheduled to be held in Palakkad district of Kerala starting from August 31. Senior BJP leaders, including its president, are expected to attend the meeting, the first such exercise after the recent polls.

"There is no rift between the RSS and the BJP," the sources said, amid the assertion by a section of people, including the opposition leaders, that Mr Bhagwat's remarks, including "true sevak is never arrogant", were a message to the BJP leadership following its below-par performance in the polls.

"There was not much difference in his (Mr Bhagwat's) speech from what he had given after the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Any address is bound to make a reference to an event as important as national elections. "But it was misinterpreted and taken out of context to create confusion. His 'arrogance' remark was never directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi or any BJP leader," the sources said.

In his speech, Mr Bhagwat had on Monday had expressed concern over peace eluding Manipur even after one year, criticised the common discourse during the polls and called for moving on instead of unnecessary discussion on the what and how of the elections after they were over and results were out.

The opposition leaders had seized on his remarks to take a swipe at the BJP and PM Modi.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh had said, "If not the 'one-third' Prime Minister's conscience or the repeated demands of the people of Manipur, perhaps Mr Bhagwat can prevail upon the former RSS office-bearer to go to Manipur."

Such claims by the opposition leaders are nothing but politics meant to spread confusion, the RSS sources said.

They also dissociated the Hindutva organisation, considered the ideological mentor of the BJP, from its national executive member Indresh Kumar's swipe at the BJP over its poll performance, saying "Lord Ram stopped those who had become arrogant at 241".

"The party which did the bhakti (of lord Ram) but became arrogant was stopped at 241 but it was made the biggest party," he had said at an event in Jaipur on Thursday, adding, "and those who had no faith in Ram, they together were stopped at 234", apparently referring to the INDIA bloc.

As a row erupted over his remarks, Mr Kumar on Friday said the country is happy with the BJP's poll performance and PM Modi becoming Prime Minister for the third consecutive term.

"At this moment, the latest news is that those who were against Lord Ram are out of power and those who were devotees of Lord Ram are in power," he told PTI.

Under PM Modi's leadership, the country will progress, he asserted.

Asked about the debate revolving around Mr Bhagwat's speech, Mr Kumar said, "It will be better if you ask authorised functionaries of Sangh about it."

Asked about Mr Kumar's Thursday remarks, an RSS functionary on Friday said it was his personal opinion and it does not reflect the organisation's view.

The sources also rejected the view that the RSS was not involved in the polling process in support of the BJP this time in the same manner as it had been earlier.

"The RSS does not campaign but creates awareness among people and it did its work during the elections. All over the country, we held lakhs of meetings. In Delhi alone, we held over one lakh small group meetings," an official source in the RSS said.

Asked about the likely appointment of a new BJP president to replace JP Nadda, who has been inducted as a cabinet minister in the Union government, the RSS sources said their organisation has always been a part of the consultation process for such a key decision.

"It will be no different this time," a source said, noting that the BJP has a history of leaders with an RSS background taking over as its president.

Asked about Mr Nadda's reported remarks which suggested that the BJP does not need the RSS in the same way it did earlier as its own organisation has become strong, he said the RSS volunteers discussed it and moved on with their work.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)