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RSS's hard line may not sway Vajpayee

Amberish K Diwanji in New Delhi

Despite the exertions of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh to control the Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance government better, it is not certain that the RSS hardliners will have their way.

BJP officials and workers remain committed to the present moderate line championed by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and adopted by the BJP when it formed the government with 17 other parties.

"Though the election results are a serious setback, it will not lead to a dramatic change in the present policies of the government," said a BJP official.

"Winning and losing elections are part of politics, and just because we lost the assembly election does not mean we are going to veer away and adopt new policies," added another senior BJP leader.

When the BJP-led alliance drew up the national agenda for governance, the BJP was forced to drop some of its controversial demands like building a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya and scrapping Article 370. This upset the hardliners within the party and in the RSS, the parent organisation of the BJP, but the compulsions of governance and politics ensured their acquiescence.

However, after the BJP's rout in the assembly election, demands have been raised in the RSS and the BJP to revert to the pro-Hindutva plank to ensure the support of the party's core base. The RSS will meet from December 9 at Nagpur where it might ask the BJP to toe the Hindutva agenda once again.

Yet, Vajpayee, seen as leading the moderate faction within the BJP, is also strengthening his grip over the party. He has inducted three new ministers, of whom two -- Jaswant Singh and Pramod Mahajan -- are known to be his supporters while the third -- Jagmohan -- is considered neutral.

The BJP official said most of the party's MPs are against increased RSS pressure on the party. "Despite the recent loss, a majority of MPs are keen to continue with the present moderate policies. Of course, they want the government to become more active so that the voters are kept happy," he said.

The official said most MPs feel the party lost the election because of the government's inability to control rising prices, especially of onions, oil and potatoes. "The MPs realise that the BJP did badly because of the price rise, infighting, nominating many wrong candidates. We did not lose because we did not keep to our ideology, but because of the party and government's mistakes," he added.

He further said the party's core supporters realise that the BJP cannot totally implement its manifesto given the constraints of running a coalition government. "Despite the loss, the MPs still consider Vajpayee and his moderate image as one of the party's strong points. Even if there are suggestions to change, I don't think it will happen," he declared.

The senior BJP leader dismissed any hint of RSS interference in the government's functioning. "The RSS does not issue orders to the BJP. That is a media creation," he stated.

He added that nevertheless, the RSS's influence upon the party was considerable. "That is because all the top BJP leaders are from the RSS," he pointed out, "whether it is Vajpayee, L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi.... Naturally, the RSS's influence will exist and we continue to seek its guidance."

That Vajpayee is fighting back and seeking to exert control is clear from the way he has insisted that the Insurance Bill will be introduced in Parliament, despite opposition from party president, Shashikant 'Kushabhau' Thakre, the RSS and its affiliates.

Thakre in fact went public with his statement that he had not been consulted on the bill. However, he clarified today that he was not against the government introducing the bill. Thus, Vajpayee may still have his way.

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