BJP IS UNDER HEGEMONY OF RSS: FACT CORROBORATED BY RSS
ARCHIVES
Ram Madhav is the intellectual face of RSS. He was the RSS
spokesperson for more than a decade (2003-2014) and was loaned to BJP in 2014,
becoming its prime general secretary. Presently, he is a member of the RSS
executive. It is expected that his narratives on different issues would reflect
authentic RSS views. In a recent write-up (‘The kite-flying about RSS’, The
Indian Express,
Claim
that RSS is a non-political organization
According
to Madhav RSS long ago “after prudent consideration” decided to keep “a
distance from the day-to-day and especially from, electoral politics”. However,
RSS allowed swayamsevaks to join any political party which did not believe in
violence and secret methods. In support of non-political RSS Madhav quoted the
most prominent ideologue of RSS, MS Golwalkar who “summing up the RSS’s
sentimental reticence for politics” declared that “Personally, I am outside
politics” and “why should people drag us into politics? We are happy with them
as politicians and ourselves as swayamsevaks”.
What do RSS archives tell?
We must compare the above statement of Madhav with the
following two statements of Golwalkar. The first statement tells us about the
kind of personnel who are sent to manipulate politics and what is expected of
them by the RSS. While delivering a speech on March 16, 1954, in Sindi, Wardha,
he said, “If we say that we are part of the organization and accept its
discipline then selectiveness has no place in life. Do what is told. If told to
play kabaddi, play kabaddi; told to hold meeting then meeting….For instance
some of our friends were told to go and work for politics that does not mean
that they have great interest or inspiration for it. They don’t die for
politics like fish without water. If they are told to withdraw from politics
then also there is no objection. Their discretion is just not required.”
[Golwalkar, MS, Shri Guruju Samgr Darshan
(collected works of Golwalkar in Hindi), Bhartiya Vichar Sadhna, Nagpur (RSS
publication house), vol. III, n. d., p. 32.]
The second statement is also very significant and clearly
highlights the high level of political ambitions of the RSS. While addressing
the leading RSS cadres at Indore on March 5, 1960 he said: “We know this also
that some of our Swayamsevaks work in politics. There they have to
organize according to the needs of work public meetings, processions etc., have
to raise slogans. All these things have no place in our work. However, like the
character in a play whatever role has been assigned should be portrayed with
best of capability.” [Ibid, vol. iv,
pp. 4-5.]
We find here Golwalkar referring to the Swayamsevaks
loaned to political satellite as ‘nat’ or performers who are meant to
dance to the tunes of the RSS. This fact should not be missed here that
Golwalkar’s above design of controlling the political arm was elaborated in
March 1960 almost nine years after the establishment of Jan Sangh (the forerunner
of the BJP) in 1951.
RSS created Bhartiya Jan Sangh (1951) and BJP (1980)
The claim that BJP is an independent political organization
and does not work under the dictates of the RSS needs to be compared with the
facts available in the official publications of the RSS. The central
publication house of the RSS, the Suruchi Prakashan, has published a
book, Param Vaibhav Ke Path Par (The Road to Great Glory) by a prominent
RSS leader, Sadanand D Sapre, in 1997 giving details of more than 40
organizations created by the RSS for different tasks. The BJP as a political
organization figures prominently in it, clubbed with the ABVP, Hindu Jagaran
Manch, Vishva Hindu Parishad, Swadeshi Jagaran Manch and Sanskar Bharti.
In this book the BJP figures at number 3 in the list of
prominent organizations created by the RSS. This book gives details of the
creation and development of Bhartiya Jan Sangh (the forerunner of the BJP) and
then BJP by the RSS for the purposes determined by the latter.
In the light of the above disclosures in the RSS publications
Madhav must do serious introspection when he stated that RSS members like
Balraj Madhok and Shyama Prasad Mookerjee founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in
1951 independently. It is also to be noted that this entry into electoral
politics by RSS was in blatant violation of the promise which Golwalkar made to
Sardar Patel as a condition for lifting ban on the RSS after the murder of
Gandhiji. It also was in direct contravention of the Article 4 (B) of the
constitution of the RSS which to quote Madhav “categorically states that ‘the
Sangh, as such, has no politics’”.
Shamsul Islam
(Taught political science at University of Delhi, author of
Hindu Nationalism and RSS.)
Email: notoinjustice@gmail.com
M-9968007740
https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/is-the-bjp-independent-of-rss-rss-archives-say-no-9369336/
