In this episode of The Editorial, Mr. Sujit Nair discusses the BJP-RSS relationship and how the dynamics between them have shifted after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Mr. Nair highlights visible changes within the workings of the RSS and how its chief, Mohan Bhagwat, is ensuring he remains the most powerful figure. He also touches on how the RSS is working on the ground to support the Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra.
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[00:00:00] Namaskar! Is RSS Trying to Take Over Bharatiya Janata Party? Is Dr. Mohan Bhagwat Trying to Shadow Rule this Country?
[00:00:13] That's the question I asked tonight. Let's get right to the show.
[00:00:19] Let me, let me, first of all, put my side of the story.
[00:00:24] You see, I do not agree much of what the Rashtrath Swayamsevaksang or the RSS stands for.
[00:00:34] I do not agree to much of their ideology. But what I do agree is that they have the right to speak.
[00:00:41] They have the right to express their views.
[00:00:44] So if you noticed, all through my career, I have not been very critical of RSS.
[00:00:51] I have not been critical of RSS. Because if I have the right to say what I feel like, they have the right to say what I feel like.
[00:00:58] I believe in that philosophy of life. And therefore, they say what they feel, I say what I feel and we are okay.
[00:01:06] They may have a point of view on what a lot of people like me say, I have a point of view on what they say.
[00:01:12] So that's the way it is. That's the way it has always been. And that's the way it has been till date. Today.
[00:01:19] Today, I see a different RSS.
[00:01:25] You know, whenever guests used to come and tell me, you know, RSS is that, RSS is this. I used to say that, at the end of the day, this is all conspiracy theory.
[00:01:35] RSS is a cultural organization. RSS is a Hindu organization. They promote Hinduism. They want to protect Hinduism.
[00:01:41] At least that's what they believe. And they want to protect the Hindu culture and all that. At least that is what they believe. And they are trying to do that.
[00:01:48] This is what I would say to myself. But today, I am kind of forced to think otherwise. I will explain myself in the next 15 minutes.
[00:02:01] Number one. You see, Narendra Modi stopped reporting to RSS. Stopped his ministers from reporting to RSS. The way they would do in 2014. The way they would do it in 2016. The way they would do it till 2018.
[00:02:21] After 2019, that was reduced a bit. Somewhere down the line, the Prime Minister said that why should a non-constitutional body be reported to? Was he right? I think he was right.
[00:02:36] Why should a non-constitutional body be reported to? So, he reduced that. The President of Bharatiya Janata Party, Mr. Nanda, made a statement saying that, listen, vote time per, once upon a time, we were aksham. Aksham means we were not very capable.
[00:02:53] Now, we are saksham. Saksham means we are absolutely capable. So, we needed RSS then, we don't need RSS now. He made that statement before the Lok Sabha election happened.
[00:03:04] Cut to, Lok Sabha election happened and cut to, Bharatiya Janata Party nosedived from 303 to 240. Everything changed after that. Everything changed after that.
[00:03:18] Dr. Mohan Bhagwat, who calls himself the head, the Sarasanga Chalak of a cultural body called the Rashtraswamyam Sevaksang, he went out and not directly but, I mean quite directly actually, criticizing the Prime Minister.
[00:03:38] Criticizing the fact that he called himself non-biological and all that, he started criticizing.
[00:03:44] It was very clear. It was very clear that Lok Sabha elections, RSS was not very much with Bharatiya Janata Party. Very clear.
[00:03:52] Bharatiya Janata Party and Narendra Modi realized his folly and started changing things overnight.
[00:04:01] Patching up with RSS overnight.
[00:04:09] There are reports that say that RSS met with BJP and BJP surrendered to RSS in Palakad in Kerala.
[00:04:19] There was a meeting in Palakad, Kerala and all this compromise or kind of surrender happened in Palakad.
[00:04:27] This is what is said.
[00:04:27] The first thing was the circular where government officers could be active members of RSS.
[00:04:36] That circular was published.
[00:04:38] Symbolic changes, changes in Supreme Court, Bharat, Nyaya, Samita.
[00:04:42] A lot of Hindutva changes started happening in this country after that in the last 4, 5, 6 months.
[00:04:51] All of a sudden, there was a feeling that Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi surrendered in front of RSS and Mohan Bhagwat.
[00:05:03] Cut to the Dasera speech of Mohan Bhagwat, where Mohan Bhagwat was back to his old days praising the government.
[00:05:10] Now, my question.
[00:05:15] RSS was supposed to be a cultural organization.
[00:05:19] RSS has all the right to support any political party that they want.
[00:05:23] Why not?
[00:05:24] I have the right to support any political party.
[00:05:26] They have the right to support any political party.
[00:05:28] But the fact is, calling themselves a cultural organization,
[00:05:33] saying that they are not going to intervene into political parties,
[00:05:37] they are not going to intervene in working of political parties,
[00:05:39] and definitely not intervene in working of political,
[00:05:42] in the government of the country,
[00:05:45] which would make them deep state.
[00:05:48] That definition or that point of RSS seems to be falling apart.
[00:05:55] Seems to be falling apart.
[00:05:57] Especially, especially with a Sarasanga Chalak like Dr. Mohan Bhagwat.
[00:06:03] Dr. Mohan Bhagwat, when he criticized the Prime Minister,
[00:06:07] why did he criticize the Prime Minister?
[00:06:09] Possibly because the Prime Minister didn't go to his office to check on how the government,
[00:06:15] or give a progress report on how the government is functioning.
[00:06:17] Is that why he criticized the Prime Minister?
[00:06:20] Because he just criticized the Prime Minister two months back.
[00:06:23] And now, in Haryana, and now in Maharashtra,
[00:06:27] they are completely working for, with Bharatiya Janata Party and Mahayuti.
[00:06:36] It is very clear that Haryana,
[00:06:38] it is thanks to the intervention of RSS in the last minute,
[00:06:42] that Haryana, they could make a difference.
[00:06:45] So, doesn't that prove that Mr. Mohan Bhagwat, or Dr. Mohan Bhagwat,
[00:06:52] was actually politically maneuvering?
[00:06:55] Rather than being a head of a cultural organization,
[00:06:59] he was head of an organization that controlled,
[00:07:02] that wants to control the government of India.
[00:07:04] And the moment the Prime Minister of India thought that he should not be controlling it,
[00:07:08] he started shaking his fist,
[00:07:10] so that the Prime Minister of India,
[00:07:11] sees that things are not very easy for him,
[00:07:14] or things are not going to be very easy for him,
[00:07:17] and which he showed in Lok Sabha.
[00:07:19] If I believe that, how am I wrong?
[00:07:22] How am I wrong?
[00:07:26] Point number one.
[00:07:27] Point number two.
[00:07:28] You see,
[00:07:31] there is a report,
[00:07:32] that around 60,000 meetings have been organized.
[00:07:35] 60,000,
[00:07:36] 60,000 meetings have been organized in Maharashtra,
[00:07:41] to promote Mahayuti.
[00:07:43] Who is organizing this meeting?
[00:07:45] RSS is organizing this meeting.
[00:07:46] Why?
[00:07:47] So that Mahayuti wins.
[00:07:50] Now, like I said,
[00:07:51] they are supposed to be a cultural organization,
[00:07:54] and they are now interfering in politics,
[00:07:57] and trying to make their political parties win.
[00:08:00] We all knew that,
[00:08:03] but we all knew that.
[00:08:05] The point is,
[00:08:08] what I question,
[00:08:09] is,
[00:08:10] the way they are drawing,
[00:08:12] from the equity.
[00:08:15] RSS was based,
[00:08:17] on something which is called as discipline.
[00:08:19] At least,
[00:08:20] they believe that they are disciplined.
[00:08:21] In fact,
[00:08:22] their people had uniforms.
[00:08:24] They had march past.
[00:08:26] They believe they were a disciplined force.
[00:08:29] Now,
[00:08:29] this discipline force,
[00:08:30] is going to hold 60,000 meetings in Maharashtra.
[00:08:34] And this 60,000 meetings in Maharashtra,
[00:08:36] is going to tell what?
[00:08:38] Tell the people that,
[00:08:39] hey,
[00:08:39] Baba,
[00:08:39] you know what,
[00:08:40] vote for Ajit Pawar.
[00:08:41] Mind you,
[00:08:42] RSS,
[00:08:43] RSS,
[00:08:44] who believes that corruption,
[00:08:45] is the biggest form,
[00:08:47] of anti-nationalism.
[00:08:49] RSS believes that.
[00:08:50] I am not saying this.
[00:08:51] RSS says this.
[00:08:53] This RSS,
[00:08:54] with that uniform,
[00:08:55] is going to stand,
[00:08:56] and say,
[00:08:57] vote,
[00:08:57] for Ajit Pawar.
[00:08:59] Why?
[00:08:59] Because he is part of Maharashtra,
[00:09:00] you think?
[00:09:01] Why?
[00:09:01] Because I want to be in power?
[00:09:02] No.
[00:09:04] So,
[00:09:05] where is your ideology?
[00:09:06] Where,
[00:09:07] is your core,
[00:09:09] Puritan thought,
[00:09:10] of,
[00:09:11] of,
[00:09:11] whatever you were built for?
[00:09:14] Whatever your constitution,
[00:09:15] was built on?
[00:09:16] Where is all those thoughts?
[00:09:18] Where are all those thoughts?
[00:09:19] Now,
[00:09:19] mind you,
[00:09:20] if it's a political party,
[00:09:21] I will still say,
[00:09:22] because most of the political parties,
[00:09:24] has abandoned their ideology.
[00:09:26] Most of the political parties.
[00:09:28] This is a cultural organization.
[00:09:31] So,
[00:09:32] this cultural organization,
[00:09:32] now,
[00:09:33] is possibly,
[00:09:34] being,
[00:09:35] behaving worse,
[00:09:36] than a political party.
[00:09:40] My question,
[00:09:41] therefore,
[00:09:42] is,
[00:09:44] if somebody says,
[00:09:46] that,
[00:09:46] RSS is a deep state,
[00:09:48] how are they different?
[00:09:50] If some,
[00:09:51] how are they wrong?
[00:09:52] If somebody says,
[00:09:53] that RSS,
[00:09:55] and,
[00:09:55] Dr. Mohan Bhagwat,
[00:09:56] in specific,
[00:09:57] wants to control this country,
[00:09:59] through the prime minister,
[00:10:00] he wants to control the prime minister,
[00:10:02] and the moment,
[00:10:02] the prime minister,
[00:10:03] resists that control,
[00:10:04] he is going to strike,
[00:10:06] and ensure,
[00:10:07] that the prime minister,
[00:10:08] listens to him,
[00:10:09] and if somebody says that,
[00:10:11] how is it wrong?
[00:10:11] He has done,
[00:10:12] exactly that.
[00:10:16] A non-constitutional authority,
[00:10:18] a non-constitutional,
[00:10:20] person,
[00:10:20] controlling our country,
[00:10:22] sitting in Nagpur,
[00:10:24] controlling Delhi,
[00:10:27] and,
[00:10:29] making,
[00:10:30] that organization,
[00:10:31] called RSS,
[00:10:33] do anything,
[00:10:34] and everything,
[00:10:36] anything,
[00:10:36] and everything,
[00:10:37] to ensure,
[00:10:38] that,
[00:10:39] he,
[00:10:41] and,
[00:10:41] his people,
[00:10:42] are in power.
[00:10:43] I call it,
[00:10:44] his people.
[00:10:45] I do not call it,
[00:10:46] BJP anymore,
[00:10:47] because,
[00:10:47] his people,
[00:10:48] like I told you,
[00:10:49] is also going to say,
[00:10:50] that you vote for NCP,
[00:10:51] you vote for,
[00:10:52] Ajit Pawar,
[00:10:53] you vote for,
[00:10:54] Hashan Musraf,
[00:10:55] his people,
[00:10:56] are going to stand,
[00:10:56] in that uniform,
[00:10:57] and say that.
[00:10:59] So,
[00:11:01] now,
[00:11:02] it's all,
[00:11:03] about power.
[00:11:05] So,
[00:11:05] how is,
[00:11:07] starting today,
[00:11:08] how is,
[00:11:10] RSS,
[00:11:11] not a political organization,
[00:11:12] and RSS,
[00:11:13] a cultural organization.
[00:11:16] This is what,
[00:11:17] I wanted to,
[00:11:18] talk to you about,
[00:11:19] till I see you next time,
[00:11:21] that's,
[00:11:21] Tuesday,
[00:11:22] at 10.
[00:11:23] Namaskar.
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