Stung by the government's dismissive attitude towards the Sangh Parivar's economic world view and its policies on Ram Janmabhoomi, the top leadership of the RSS met senior BJP leaders and let them know that the government's tendency to ignore the views of various RSS affiliates would be politically counter-productive.
The meeting assumes significance in view of the fact that the RSS leadership was at variance with the government on the issue of the disinvestment of oil sector PSUs, BPCL and HPCL. That the government cleared the disinvestment without accommodating any of the RSS' views has caused a great deal of heartburn within the Parivar.
Although RSS joint spokesman Ram Madhav said the meeting was nothing but a courtesy call to the visiting RSS general secretary Mohan Bhagwat, the signals are of the desperation in the Sangh Parivar over the growing discontent within various RSS organisations about the government's style of functioning.
Today's meeting was essentially aimed at ensuring co-ordination between the BJP and RSS-affiliated organisations. Senior RSS leaders are believed to have cautioned the party leadership of "political setbacks" in the event of conflicts among various Sangh Parivar organisations.
The RSS' Jhandewalan headquarters turned out to be a place of pilgrimage for top leaders of the BJP, the Swadeshi Jagaran Manch (SJM) and the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS).
But BJP president M Venkaiah Naidu tried to use the occasion to express the party's concern over the belligerent stance of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and its firebrand leader Praveen Togadia.
Togadia had demanded possession of the disputed land at Ayodhya and also stated that the government must support the US attack on Iraq. "Such statements are making the government's work difficult," Naidu is believed to have told Bhagwat, while expressing his disapproval over the manner in which Togadia raised the issue of the disputed land in Ayodhya. That Togadia's statement was uncalled for is conceded by the RSS top leadership.
Naidu, who was also accompanied by his general secretaries, strongly pleaded the government's case by describing the BJP-led NDA government as the "most favourable government" for the Parivar. However, Naidu's advocacy for the government was rebutted by leaders of the VHP, the SJM and the BMS in subsequent meetings.
While VHP leaders agreed that Togadia's statement was not appropriate, they raised doubts about the government's sincerity in paving the way for construction of a temple at Ayodhya. Similarly, SJM convenor Murlidhar Rao pointed out that the government had ignored all genuine concerns of the Parivar on disinvestment and was ready to sacrifice the national interest in the next round of the WTO at Mexico.
Sources, however, say the RSS also conveyed its concern over the inability of top leaders in the government and the BJP to accommodate the views of mass organisations of the RSS like the BMS, the VHP and the SJM.
With Assembly elections to be held in 11 states this year and the general election due in 2004, the RSS leadership gave clear indication that the growing lack of co-ordination between the BJP and other RSS-associated mass organisations could cost it dear.
