 "Indresh Kumar")
Just days after Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat's critical remarks about the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), another senior RSS leader has made a similarly pointed comment towards the saffron party following its failure to secure a majority in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Speaking at an event in Jaipur on Thursday, senior RSS leader Indresh Kumar refrained from directly naming the BJP but commented on a political party that had grown arrogant despite its allegiance to Ram, resulting in limited success of 241 seats.
"You can witness Ram’s justice even in 2024, during the festival of democracy. The party that worshipped Ram but gradually became arrogant was declared the largest party. However, due to their arrogance, the votes and power they should have received were withheld by God," Kumar stated at the Ramrath Ayodhya Yatra Darshan Pujan Samaroh in Kanota near Jaipur.
Kumar further noted, “Those who opposed Ram could not gain power, even when united. They collectively stood at number two instead of number one. This demonstrates that God's justice is not strange but the truth.”
These remarks follow RSS chief Bhagwat's recent assertion that a 'true sevak' does not possess arrogance. Echoing Bhagwat's sentiment, Kumar emphasised 'ahankar' (arrogance) in his speech. He indicated that the BJP, despite its devotion, was capped at 241 seats due to its arrogance, while those lacking faith in Ram were held at 236.
“The party that did bhakti but became arrogant, that party was restricted to 241 but was made the single largest party. Those who disrespected Ram, all of them together were restricted at 236, saying that this is the punishment for your unfaith that you cannot succeed,” Kumar said.
The comments highlight a growing rift between the BJP and its ideological mentor, the RSS. Tensions have been apparent since BJP then-president JP Nadda, in a pre-election interview with The Indian Express, suggested that the BJP, having matured, now operates independently of the RSS, which he termed a cultural front. This assertion reportedly did not sit well with RSS leaders, who have since been vocal about their discontent following the BJP's electoral shortfall.
