Editorial with Sujit Nair | Is Modi’s Influence Growing Within RSS? | Mohan Bhagwat | BJP

[00:00:00] Namaskar! Welcome to another episode of Editorial. Is Dr. Mohan Bhagwat scared of Modi? That's the question I want to ask you tonight. Let's get right through the show and find out.

[00:00:21] So, Dr. Mohan Bhagwat, the Sarasangachalak of RSS seems to be one of the most controversial RSS head. His statements, most of them or some of them going against his own people, his own political wings, going against the interest of his own political party.

[00:00:48] Some of them not acceptable by RSS rank and file. So, he made a lot of statements which put him into a lot of controversy. So, to conclude that Dr. Mohan Bhagwat could be one of the most controversial RSS Sarasangachalak will not be a far-fetched thought.

[00:01:11] Number one. Number two is, all of a sudden I get a feeling that something is worrying Dr. Mohan Bhagwat. And I think that something is the pressure of Mr. Nairantra Modi. That is worrying Sarasangachalak.

[00:01:32] Mr. Sarasangachalak, the RSS chief made a statement recently where he said that the date of Ram temple consecration in Ayodhya should be celebrated as Pratishta Dvadashi. As the true independence of Bharat which faced Parachakra, that is enemy attack for several centuries was established on this day. Which means the temple faced Parachakra, that is attack from various enemies and that temple was established this day.

[00:02:00] So, it should be seen as true independence of Bharat. Now, mind you, there was this MP called Kangana Ranaut who also said that, you know, 2014 was the true independence of India and now the Sarasangachalak. So, you know, just it was a point I wanted to make. He went on to say that after India got political independence from British on August 15th, 1947,

[00:02:27] a written constitution was made according to the path shown by the specific vision which comes out of self of the country. But the document was not run according to the spirit of the vision at the time. Bhagwat said, the Ram temple movement was not started to oppose anyone. This movement was started to awaken the self, swaha of Bharat so that the country would stand on its two feet and show the path to the world.

[00:02:57] This is what RSS chief said. Arre, this is Sarasangachalak. It's a very, very, very revered position in the RSS. You know, the Sarasangachalak is called Parampujaniya. Parampujaniya is what they are referred to. The ultimate Parampujaniya is what the RSS chief is referred to and he is making this kind of statements.

[00:03:26] I will tell you, 2022, the same RSS chief had made a statement say that, Now, we will not be involved in any campaign if a solution cannot be found through negotiation. Aapas mein mil baiht kar, sayamati se, everyone should accept the decision of the courts. Meanwhile, rooz ek jhagada kyu badana hai? Why create more conflict?

[00:03:56] He said, he said, kya ayya, why all this conflict for temple versus mosque? Why all this conflict? He said it. Okay, he had further gone out to say that we have been living in harmony for a long time. If we want to provide this harmony to the world, we need to create a model of it. After the construction of Ram Mandir, some people think that they can become leader of Hindus by raking up similar issues in new places. This is not acceptable.

[00:04:26] He just said, he said, just because you consecrated Ram Mandir doesn't make you a leader. Now, he is saying that Ram Mandir is the independence of Bharat. It is a little complicated. Isn't it kind of antithetical? It is opposite sentence. One place you say that, today is the independence day for Bharat. And the other place you say, boss, leader of the name, that you make you consecrate Ram Temple.

[00:04:55] You know, he further went on to say that by building Ram Temple, which is a matter of faith of Hindus, one does not become Hindu leader. Ram Temple is a matter of faith for Indians. Under the burden of the past, we should not resort to extreme hatred, malice, enmity. And after raising doubts, we should not rake up new issues. He seems to be, to me, please respond to this.

[00:05:21] He seems to be telling that, listen, you know what, Ram Temple happened, okay, good. Now, enough. Now, enough. Now, don't rake up other issues. This is what, to me, it sounded as if what he is trying to say. Now, in his today statement, in his today statement, this was December. Today, January. This was December 24th. Today, January 25th.

[00:05:43] He says that, boss, the consecration of Ram Temple was the Sva Bharat, the new independence for Bharat. I found this absolutely antithetical. I have found this sentence absolutely diametrically opposite to each other, which means he said something before and he is trying to retract what he said before.

[00:06:12] Let's keep this aside. Now, let's talk some facts and figures before we come back to this. You see, you know what 2024 elections showed? Elections, when I say, I mean Lok Sabha elections. I mean, assembly elections. You know what 2000 elections, 2024 elections proved? 2024 elections proved that this election was not about one person.

[00:06:40] It proved very clearly that it was not about Narendra Modi. Why? Because Modi Ki Guarantee was given only 240 seats. Modi Ki Guarantee was given only 240 seats. The fact that the RSS was not completely out and out supporting the Bharatia Janata Party because of some statements the Bharatia Janata Party had made in 2024 was clearly visible on ground

[00:07:07] and the fact that Bharatia Janata Party with Modi Ki Guarantee as his base line only won 240 seats. What does the conclusion mean? The conclusion is that Bharatia Janata Party needs the RSS to win. Okay. Now, one may ask that RSS was there since 1930s. Janata Party or Jansang or whatever those parties were which were supposed to be the various

[00:07:36] formats of Bharatia Janata Party and then Bharatia Janata Party in the 80s. Why did it take so much time for Bharatia Janata Party to win? If RSS was so important, the fact remains that somewhere down the line, RSS, experts says can swing that 5-6% vote. It can swing that 5-6% vote. Let me try and give you some figures.

[00:07:57] You see, MVA, the vote share came down in 242 seats for MVA in 2024 Maharashtra Assembly election. The Mahayuti, their vote share went up in 235 seats in Maharashtra. So, MVA came down and Mahayuti came up. Now, interesting factor is, you see, in 2024, like you must have heard and we also have

[00:08:26] reported this, that the RSS, especially I am focusing on Maharashtra so that I can give you a case and point. In Maharashtra, RSS conducted 60,000 meetings. 60,000 meetings, over 60,000 meetings across Maharashtra. And you know what RSS was trying to do? RSS was asking people to come out of their house and vote.

[00:08:50] And this come out of their house and vote actually helped the Mahayuti, actually helped the Bharatiya Janata Parity. What I mean is, in 2024, Lok Sabha elections, 61.29% of people had voted. In Maharashtra Assemblies, 2024, 65.2% people voted. There was a 4% increase of voting in 2024.

[00:09:13] 2024, that 4% played a very vital role in ensuring that Mahayuti scored and scored brilliantly. The same was the strategy that was practiced even in Haryana is what people within RSS says. So, RSS got people out and got them to vote.

[00:09:39] And that extra percentage ensured that Bharatiya Janata Party got a victory from a state that they almost lost. Haryana, they had given up. Maharashtra, till the election, they were almost sure that Mahavikas Akhadi will come. Even Mahavikas Akhadi was very sure that they will come. They were fighting over who will become the chief minister. So, under the circumstances, RSS pulled victory out of the jaws of defeat.

[00:10:09] This is what RSS did. Now, if you look at it, RSS started asking for his pound of flesh. RSS showed the Bharatiya Janata Party that you cannot win with me. This is what Bharatiya Janata Party president had told in one of his speeches in 2024 about RSS. When we were not efficient enough, we needed RSS. Now, we are efficient enough. We are effective enough. We don't need RSS.

[00:10:39] Now, we are aksham. So, we don't need RSS. This is what he had said. Not in exact words, but broadly. This is what was the sum and substance of what he said. So, RSS said, no. Okay. So, they all sat down and then they saw what happened in 2024 Lok Sabha election. And then they came back and they pulled Bharatiya Janata Party back in Haryana and Maharashtra. Okay. Now, you will be wondering what am I talking about?

[00:11:08] Arre, I started this editorial saying that is Dr. Mohan Bhagwat scared of Modi? And now I am saying that Modi cannot win elections, but RSS, Mohan Bhagwat's RSS can win. I will try and tell you what I mean by that. You see, the comments made by Mohan Bhagwat didn't go too well with the right wing. And especially with the rank and file of RSS.

[00:11:35] In fact, Sarasanga Chalak, I thought was left behind. Because RSS as a thought process went far extreme as far as their Hinduttu agenda is concerned. The RSS chief was lagging behind. So, when it didn't go well with the RSS rank and file, Whispers of will Dr. Mohan Bhagwat resign from the RSS? There is no resignation in RSS.

[00:12:05] It is relinquishing the post of Sarasanga Chalak in RSS. This question started propping up. A lot of people started throwing dates. A lot of people started saying that possibly Dr. Bhagwat may relinquish his post in February, in March, in so on and so forth. A lot of people said he is just waiting for the Delhi election to get over before he relinquishes his post.

[00:12:33] Today, RSS sees Modi's vision more as the vision they want to go towards rather than Mr. Mohan Bhagwat's moderate vision. So, the point is today RSS is split in a way. When I say split, I don't mean really split.

[00:12:59] But RSS has more takers for a more extreme Hindutva. More takers for like I said Modi's vision than takers for Mohan Bhagwat's vision. And that is exactly why Mohan Bhagwat does not have an option but to retract or try and go back on his words what he spoke in December. That's the point I was trying to make.

[00:13:29] That's the reason I say that somewhere down the line, now Dr. Mohan Bhagwat possibly has a sense that maybe, maybe, just maybe, Narendra Modi has more influence on his RSS than he himself has. That's the point I wanted to make through this editorial. Till I see you next time, that's 10 o'clock tomorrow. Namaskar.

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