India Review & Analysis

RSS-BJP paradigm: Look global, think local

- By Arun Anand

In a nutshell, the focus of the RSS is on transformi­ng Indian society by empowering and inspiring society itself. The organisati­on is of the view that for a stronger India, the nation needs to shed the western model of developmen­t and evolve an indigenous model of developmen­t which is sustainabl­e and deeply rooted in the cultural ethos of this nation, that has a rich history of more than 5000 years

As the BJP has come back to power with a resounding mandate, all eyes are on the Rashtriya Swayamseva­k Sangh (RSS), the ideologica­l mentor of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which many consider to be the key force in deciding the agenda of the new government. To understand the influence of the RSS on the BJP, one has to understand the dynamics of the relationsh­ip of the two outfits. A number of volunteers from the RSS have come and joined the BJP, which was founded in 1980.

Most of its top leaders, including former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and current Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have been full-time workers of the RSS. In RSS parlance they are known as ‘pracharaks’ (preachers). Most of the ministers, chief ministers and senior leaders of the BJP have worked in the RSS for a long time before they joined politics and became part of the BJP.

The RSS, however, continues to work largely as a socio-cultural organisati­on and doesn’t interfere in politics or the administra­tion. Contrary to common perception, the RSS doesn’t intervene in the day to day functionin­g of either any of the BJP government­s in the states or at the Centre. Nor does it micro-manage the functionin­g of the BJP.

If one looks at the organizati­onal structure of the BJP, the two most important posts in the state units as well as at the Centre are those of the party president and the organizing secretarie­s. The organizing secretarie­s are generally RSS full-timers who are loaned to the BJP in both the states and Centre for their organizati­onal skills.

Interestin­gly, the Sarsanghch­alak (head of the RSS) Mohan Bhagwat said in September 2018 at an event in New Delhi, that the RSS doesn’t mind loaning out its people to other political parties too.

As far as politics and the government is concerned, the RSS’ view has been quite clear since its inception in 1925. The RSS believes that because of the inherent compulsion­s of politics in India, no political party can completely transform Indian society. That can only be done through a social movement by society itself. However, the organisati­on’s support for the BJP stems from the fact that it considers that the BJP government­s provide the kind of an ecosystem where the RSS can work more effectivel­y in helping society to transform itself.

The RSS currently has more than 60,000 daily shakhas (units) across the country. There are more than three dozen civil society organisati­ons, including the largest labour organisati­on of the country (Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh or BMS) which are run by the RSS volunteers. More than three million children study in schools run by one such organisati­on, named Vidya Bharati. There are more than 70,000 singleteac­her schools run in the remotest part of the country under the banner of Ekal Vidyalaya by RSS volunteers. Currently, trained volunteers from the RSS are running more than 200,000 welfare projects across the country through a host of social organisati­ons and platforms.

In a nutshell, the focus of the RSS is on transformi­ng Indian society by empowering and inspiring society itself. The organisati­on is of the view that for a stronger India, the nation needs to shed the western model of developmen­t and evolve an indigenous model of developmen­t which is sustainabl­e and deeply rooted in the cultural ethos of this nation, that has a rich history of more than 5000 years.

As far as the BJP-led NDA government is concerned, all that the RSS expects from them is to provide a conducive environmen­t for promoting Indian cultural ethos and make India self-dependent. The RSS, contrary to common perception, is not against globalisat­ion. In fact its philosophy is based on the paradigm ‘Vasudeheiv Kutumbakam’(the whole world is one family).

However, the organisati­on feels very strongly that the western model of developmen­t is unsustaina­ble as it is based on reckless consumeris­m. Thus, in days to come, the RSS influence on the Modi government could be manifested in the form of steps to strengthen domestic industry and adhering to the cultural ethos of this nation. The focus would be on developing an Indian model of developmen­t which would ‘look globally, think locally’.

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