How Sangh cadres toil for BJP, poll after poll
NEWDELHI: At a closed-door meeting in Gujarat, ahead of the December election, a senior functionary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was given the task of helping his colleagues reach out to the electorate and explain why the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, having seemingly fallen short of popular expectations, was still a better alternative to the Opposition.
“He (the functionary) calmly told the swayamsevakas to tell people that there would be a timebound resolution to their immediate issues, but if the administration of the state passes into the hands of those whose politics is based on appeasement (of minorities), then the future is bleak,” recalled another functionary, who was privy to that meeting, on the condition of anonymity.
The senior functionary was explaining to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) workers, some of whom were critical of the government, how to connect with the people at a time when public anger was mounting and disappointment with the incumbent government was conspicuous.
He had earlier heard the cadre explain how economic policies — the November 2016 demonetisation of high-value banknotes and the July 2017 implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) had hurt businesses, particularly small and medium ones.
He had also received feedback regarding the anger within the farming community, which was expecting better remuneration in terms of the minimum support price and a solution to the water crisis, and told about the growing unrest among the youngsters, notably the Patidar community, seeking reservations in government jobs.
Similar scenes played in the previous year in Uttar Pradesh (UP), where the cadre wanted to know how they were expected to back politically expedient decisions of choosing electoral candidates on the basis of caste or absorbing candidates whose ideology was at variance with theirs.
In both states, the BJP won, no small thanks to the role played by the foot-soldiers of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) , which officially maintains it does not ask people to vote for the BJP.
Its cadre is deputed to help the political protégé during the campaigns, and will doubtless play a key role in states slated for elections later this year and the Lok Sabha elections the next year.