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RSS does not rule out mid-term polls

Rajesh Ramachandran in New Delhi

After two days of stock-taking, the Sangh Parivar has termed the overall political scenario in the country 'grim'.

A high-level meeting, held at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's Delhi headquarters in Jhanewalan on June 27 and 28, discussed the possibility of a mid-term poll and, according to sources, issued a circular asking the cadre to ready for elections by October.

Among those present at the meeting were the Sarsanghchalak, Prof Rajendra Singh, Bharatiya Janata Party president Kushabhau Thakre, RSS functional head and general secretary H V Seshadri, and joint general secretary K S Sudershan.

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was conspicuous by his absence at the meeting. Sources point this out as an indicator to the meeting's raison d'etre: a brainstorming session between the party and its parental organisation, with no representation from the government. (Home Minister Lal Kishanchand Advani, though he dropped in at the meeting, did not sit through the entire session.)

The meeting, sources said, discussed the fate of the tottering coalition and decided to take remedies to prevent an Uttar Pradesh-like situation at the Centre -- even if it meant stepping down from power.

The BJP's all-out attempt to hold on to the UP government had resulted in allegations of horse-trading, which have stuck to the party that always talked of political morals. Senior RSS leaders, therefore, have decided not to cling on to power at the cost of destroying the BJP's credibility beyond repair.

However, a senior RSS leader who requested anonymity said there were no circulars, 'primarily because we don't believe in issuing such circulars'.

"But the meeting discussed the emerging political situation and has come to the conclusion that the scenario is grim," he told Rediff On The NeT, "It does not mean that we will allow the BJP government to be dislodged. We will try our best to retain the government."

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary Jayalalitha Jayaram being the major source of the government's instability, the BJP has set itself to split her party, it was revealed.

The party's hope of engineering a split rests on V Gopalaswamy, the Marumalarachi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief, who attended the July 27 coordination committee meeting despite the AIADMK's absence.

"Jayalalitha is now aware that a split will occur if she withdraws support. So we expect her to scale down her demands," a BJP leader said.

The Sangh Parivar meeting, which discussed the allies' demand for dismissing the governments of Tamil Nadu, Bihar and West Bengal, felt that it would have fared better if it had conceded at the outset.

The Sangh's dilemma is that the allies are carrying their infighting to the PM's doorstep. The leaders asserted the BJP has become the favourite whipping boy for the allies -- and that, when most of the allies like the Biju Janata Dal are facing severe crisis themselves.

The BJP argued that even if the alliance partners split, the splinter groups would all remain within the government and help it carry on. However, the intra-party bickering does add to the front's instability, leaders admitted.

A topic which came up for discussion at the meeting was Advani's statement about the government achieving nothing but the nuclear tests. The Sangh feels that it was self-defeating. However, there was no open criticism when Advani explained his stand at the meeting.

"It is not the first time Advani has made such a statement. Earlier he had said that the Narasimha Rao was the strongest man in Indian politics after Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel," an RSS functionary said.

The Sangh, though it says the political situation is 'grim', is quite satisfied as most of its agenda has been carried out. The nuclear explosions, rewriting Indian history by reconstituting the government sponsored think-tanks and maintaining ambiguity on Ayodhya -- the Sangh has hailed all these.

Nor is the Sangh particularly worried about the economic affairs, sources said.

The Sangh is also happy about the way Union HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi has gone about fulfilling its dreams of a Hindu approach to education. The rewriting of the Hindu history is primarily aimed at the Left, which the BJP calls enemy number one. It is for the same reason that the BJP categorically rules out a cakewalk for an alternate government led by the Congress and supported by the Left.

"The whole game-plan is that of the Left's. We shouldn't allow them to dislodge the government which is carrying out the Sangh's agenda," an RSS functionary said.

The Sangh argues that it is better for Sonia to develop a one-to-one relation with Vajpayee and be sure that she would not be haunted by the Bofors ghost.

The BJP cadre, anyhow, has been asked to go about highlighting the government's fulfilling some of the Sangh's cherished dreams.

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