New Delhi, June 6: Even before it started, the honeymoon seems to be getting over for the BJP’s new president Rajnath Singh.

Barely six months into his new job, Rajnath is facing a tide of resentment not just from his party colleagues but also from quarters he would have least expected ? the top leadership of the RSS.

Two recent developments have exposed the Sangh’s disquiet about their appointee in the BJP:

The Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha elections where he supported the late Pramod Mahajan’s associate Sudhanshu Mittal

His unstinting support to the Arjun Munda regime in Jharkhand

Rajnath may like to play down his association with Mittal but there is nothing to stop the late BJP leader’s aide from flaunting it, much to the RSS’s discomfiture.

In Jharkhand, Babulal Marandi quitting the BJP has been a big blow to the party. Marandi was a symbol of the RSS’s social engineering project in the tribal state. Losing him in the wake of mounting public resentment against Munda’s government has not been a positive development for the BJP and Rajnath in particular.

While Rajnath is useful for the Sangh, his political awkwardness combined with recent “misdemeanours” have occasioned an introspection in Sangh circles about his tenure. The Sangh is to review Rajnath’s performance at a week-long meeting towards the end of this month.

The RSS is being secretive about the meeting, choosing to disclose neither the venue nor the dates. “Where did you learn about this?” asked a Sangh leader. “There are several issues to be discussed.”

Rajnath had recently proved his loyalty to the RSS by drastically amending the party constitution to accommodate the Sangh. The strength of organising secretaries and RSS pracharaks sent on deputation to the BJP will now increase substantially during the recent BJP national executive meeting. While this may have made the Sangh happy, Rajnath is a long way from ensuring his longevity as party president.

His major handicap is the lack of support from his immediate colleagues. Rajnath has no friends among the BJP’s “second rung”. Mahajan was the only one among the second-rung leaders who supported him.