New Delhi: The RSS has said it will prefer a “strong leader” rather than a “rubber stamp” to take over as the next BJP president, creating tensions within the party and opening up the possibility of Narendra Modi visiting the Sangh headquarters for the first time since becoming Prime Minister 11 years ago.
The BJP has been dragging its feet on the long-due election of a new party chief as the RSS has so far not vetted any of the proposed names and this could push Modi to meet Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat. The term of current BJP chief J.P. Nadda, considered a “rubber stamp”, expired in January 2024 and has been continuing on extension.
Against this backdrop, Modi is scheduled to visit Nagpur on March 30 for an official engagement and is likely to hold a one-on-one meeting with Bhagwat at the RSS headquarters in the city during which the Prime Minister would try to get the
Sangh on board and resolve the differences.
“The Sangh appears adamant to have a BJP president who fits its bill. From whatever I have learnt from my interactions with key Sangh leaders, they want a strong and reliable leader and not a yes-man,” a BJP old-timer said.
The RSS, founded in 1925, is celebrating its centenary this year and Modi is likely to visit the Sangh headquarters to mark the occasion.
On March 30, Modi will lay the foundation stone for a new building of a private eye hospital in Nagpur. Bhagwat is also scheduled to attend the event apart from Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari. Later that day, Modi is likely to visit the RSS headquarters to pay his respects to Sangh founder Keshav Baliram Bhagat.
RSS chief publicist Sunil Ambekar on Wednesday refused to comment on Modi’s possible visit, but said he was “welcome”.
Relations between the BJP and the RSS have been frayed since the general election that saw Modi project himself as a “godsend” and pitching the slogan “Abki baar chaar sau paar (This time, over 400 seats)”, which the RSS and many others found arrogant.
As the BJP fell short of majority in the Lok Sabha, Bhagwat disapproved of the “ahankaar (arrogance)” of the “sevak” (Modi calls himself pradhan sevak) and condemned the “bitter” election campaign that endangered social harmony. RSS cadres had refrained from participating actively in the general election.
Since then, however, Modi and the BJP have appeared to be making efforts to mend ties with the RSS. The BJP leadership held a series of meetings with the RSS ahead of the elections in Haryana, Maharashtra and Delhi and the victories in these states were seen as the outcome of a coordinated effort.
Modi, of late, has been heaping praise on the RSS.
In a podcast with Lex Fridman on Sunday, Modi credited the RSS with shaping his life since childhood, inculcating in him the spirit of “nation first” and giving purpose to his life. “More than anything, the RSS provides you with a clear direction towards what can truly be called a purpose in life,” Modi said in the podcast.
RSS insiders said Modi’s praise could be aimed at wooing the Sangh leadership to allow him to have a BJP president of his choice. Nadda had angered the RSS with his comments during the general election. In an interview, Nadda had sought to downplay the need for the RSS and said the BJP had grown over the years and become capable of running its own affairs.