RSS chief advises affiliates to avoid embarrassing govt

NEWDELHI: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat has asked offshoots of the Sangh Parivar to ensure that their criticism of government policies is carefully worded to avoid embarrassment to the BJP-led NDA government.

Sources privy to a meeting chaired by Bhagwat in Jammu, during a three-day conclave that ended on Thursday, said the RSS chief told delegates that disagreement and criticism should be conveyed in civil language.

The three-day meeting was attended by RSS brass and over 200 delegates, comprising state and regional level ‘pracharaks’.

“The RSS chief said there is scope for differences between the Sangh affiliates and the government and they are free to express their concerns, but it should be done with restraint. The government is, after all, a part of the Sangh Parivar,” a source said.

Ideology is the umbilical cord between the BJP and the Sangh.

This is not the first time that the Sangh chief has asked for restraint but the diktat comes at a time when the Opposition has lined up a series of allegations against the government, putting it on the back foot over issues such as violence against minorities, cow vigilantism, diminishing jobs, and a sluggish economy.

Sangh offshoots such as the Swadeshi Jagran Manch and the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh have been fulminating against policies like demonetisation and throwing open various sectors to foreign direct investment (FDI). Recently, after the terror attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims in Kashmir, the far-right Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for what they alleged was failure to curb terrorism.