It was obvious that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat’s annual speech during RSS’ Vijayadashmi Utsav would have political flavour given this was his last address before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Therefore, he has given a clear message that he and RSS are firmly behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi by praising the government and its leadership. One would see through how Bhagwat connected Modi’s leadership to the country’s success be it hosting of G-20 Summit to the Moon mission Chandrayaan or even the country’s sportspersons leaping past the 100-mark in the medals tally for the first time in the Asian Games.
Surprisingly, he also commented on the Manipur crisis. Opposition in both the houses tried almost everyday to compel the Prime Minister to address the Manipur violence during the parliamentary sessions. However, Modi did not say anything significant. The entire country watched this circus unfold and Manipur violence only added further to the anti-government sentiment. By saying that the external forces would benefit from the violence in Manipur, he has tried to shift the blame from the government in his own way. Accusing external factors for the government’s failure is a tried and tested recipe often adopted by RSS. Bhagwat has questioned the continuity of the violence despite a strong and stable government in place. Then who has stopped the government to stop the violence? A government which can carry out a surgical strike overnight to teach an enemy country a lesson cannot curb violence within its own territories despite such a huge loss of lives is far-fetched. But blaming the external factors instead of accepting the government’s failure is RSS’ old trick.
Bhagwat was constantly trying to make listeners believe that various tool-kits which incite violence are defeating the government’s efforts. He also appealed for the country to maintain a religious environment on the day of inauguration of Ram Mandir which is January 22, 2024. Bhagwat reiterated that the ancestors of Indian Muslims were Indians. In short, he used the same old policy to appease Muslim population. Another advice-cum-appeal made by Bhagwat in his speech was to vote cautiously. However, what he meant by that was to vote for the Modi government. He, without mentioning I N D IA alliance explicitly, said how evil parties have joined forces to defeat Modi. He also tried to highlight how the Opposition alliance is backed by external forces. One could tell that Bhagwat’s annual address was aimed at defending Modi ahead of the Lok Sabha polls which is why he touched upon the heated subject of reservation and agreed that socially backward sections must be granted reservations. However, he subtly placed conditions for this as well and one could sense that he appealed for ‘these communities’ to come along with them if they want equal status. Many surveys suggest that the citizens are upset over the Modi-led regime especially considering the current term. It is not possible for RSS to be unaware about the situation. However, does BJP still require RSS’ help to win elections?
Madhya Pradesh and Goa are two examples enough to tell one how BJP toppled governments in the States, where the voters had refused to elect them in power. Modi had already proved that BJP will not run as per RSS’ instructions by pressuring other leaders before 2014 Lok Sabha elections. BJP then using either financial strength or abusing power brought leaders of many other parties in BJP over the last nine years. It also took bold decisions due to majority in Parliament without fearing consequences. Nonetheless, this led to Rahul Gandhi embarking upon the Bharat Jodo Yatra and formation of I N D I A alliance. After losing Karnataka to Congress, the opinion polls are not exactly encouraging for the BJP in the upcoming Assembly elections of five states. RSS is well-aware that it would be difficult for BJP to come to power on its own given the current situation which is why Bhagwat through his speech tried to send a message that Sangh stands firmly behind Modi. Otherwise, there was nothing new in his much-anticipated speech.
