Mohua Chatterjee
The write-up by RSS member Ratan Sharda, titled ‘Modi 3.0: Conversation for course correction’, came amid intense discussion on RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s speech on Monday in which he said a “true sevak has no ego (ahankar)”.Modi has consistently styled himself as the “pradhan sevak”. Sharda’s article said though RSS was not a “field force” of BJP, party leaders and workers failed to reach out to its ‘swayamsevaks’ (volunteers) for their cooperation in electoral work.
Bhagwat had said: “He who is a real servant has no limitations. Everyone does the work. But it is important to follow the limits while working. We work with limits. The worker adheres to that limit. That limit is our religion and culture. One who follows limits does not engage in karma. He has no ego (ahankar). He is the true servant.”
During the campaign, BJP chief J P Nadda had said in a media interview that the party had grown and could handle its own affairs and did not need RSS the way it did earlier.
In his article, Sharda said, “Results of 2024 general elections have come as a reality check for overconfident BJP karyakartas and many leaders. They did not realise that PM Narendra Modi ji’s call of 400-plus (seats) was a target for them and a dare to the opposition.”
Sharda, who has authored many books on RSS, noted that targets were achieved by hard work in the field, not by sharing posters and selfies on social media. “Since they were happy in their bubble, enjoying the glow reflected from Modi ji’s aura, they were not listening to voices on the streets,” he said.
The idea that Modi was fighting on all 543 Lok Sabha seats had “limited value”, Sharda wrote. “This idea became self-defeating when candidates were changed, imposed at the cost of local leaders and defectors were given more importance. Sacrificing even well performing parliamentarians to accommodate latecomers hurt. It is estimated that around 25% of candidates were seasonal migrants,” he added.
Sharda also flagged “unnecessary politicking” as a reason behind BJP’s underperformance. “Maharashtra is a prime example of unnecessary politicking and avoidable manipulations. NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar joined BJP though BJP and split Shiv Sena had a comfortable majority. BJP supporters were hurt because they had fought against this Congress ideology for years and were persecuted. In a single stroke, BJP reduced its brand value,” he said.
On whether RSS worked for BJP in this election, Sharda said, “Let me say bluntly, RSS is not a field force of BJP. BJP has its own karyakartas. If BJP volunteers don’t reach out to RSS, they have to answer why they thought it was not required.”