Who should be new president of the party, after the incumbent J P Nadda resigned after being made a union minister, has put the RSS in quandary His official term also expired on June 30 this year. While Modi nurses that the new person must be subservient to him and a devout loyalist ready to carry out his diktats, the RSS leadership is more concerned of his amenability, a wider vision and political acumen to broad base the party and explore new uncharted areas and segments of the society.

Modi has come to realise that it is power that matters. During ten years of his rule Modi has turned the entire saffron ecosystem and even its once most powerful leaders as subservient. It is the absolute power that defines the philosophy and policies of Narendra Modi.. After becoming prime minister, he turned NDA irrelevant and BJP high command dysfunctional. Nadda was not more than a stamp pad and a postman to deliver Modi’s message amongst the party members and leaders.

BJP under Nadda has already lost its appeal and charm even among the Hindus, the core supporters of BJP. That it has lost relevance was clearly manifest in the Lok Saba election with Modi going to the polls with the call “Modi’s Guarantees”. It sent a candid and clear message that BJP and its leaders do not matter. Modi’s word is the final edict.

If the BJP would have secured even bare majority, Modi would have ventured on the path to declare BJP a separate entity independent of RSS. Nadda had in fact dropped sufficient hint of Modi’s design by saying “BJP does not need RSS support now. The party has grown and everyone has got their own duties and roles. RSS is a cultural and social organisation and we are a political organisation… It’s not the question of need. It’s an ideological front.”

Modi through Nadda has sent a distinct message to the RSS leadership that BJP was no more a portion of RSS. Only the Bhakts, cadres and pracharaks of RSS and its other frontal organisations continue to be members of RSS. The reversal at the Lok Sabha elections and Modi virtually meeting his waterloo, notwithstanding his loud claim of winning 400 seats in the election, has delayed the process of parting of ways. The RSS leadership was also ready for a show down, but preferred to take the entire rank and file in confidence before taking any action. RSS leaders were unanimous that this nature of personality assertion must not be encouraged.

If the sources are to be relied, the annual meet of all India 'prant pracharaks', or province in-charges, of RSS which would be held in Ranchi from July 12 till 14, will come out with a concrete suggestion about who can be replace Nadda. Technically the advice of the meet is not mandatory but it would provide an insight about the mood and perception of the RSS and more precisely reflect on the leadership quality of Modi. Being associated with the ground level developments and feelings of the common people, they are in a better position to apprise the RSS leadership about the potential party chief.

The RSS has structured the organisation in 46 'prants' (provinces). The prant pracharaks are virtually the ears and eyes of the RSS, which frames its programmes and policies based on their feed backs. RSS would prefer to have the person as the new BJP chief who gets approval of the prant pracharaks. They will also discuss implementation of plans for the coming year. The meet will also discuss the preparations for RSS' centenary year (2025-26). Utter confusion prevails over holding of the centenary celebration and what should be its scale and nature.

The importance of the meet could be understood from the simple fact that the entire top RSS leaders would be present during three days of the deliberations. It would be attended by RSS chief Bhagwat, general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale and joint general secretaries Krishna Gopal, C R Mukunda, Arun Kumar (the RSS pointsman in the BP), Ram Dutt, Alok Kumar, Atul Limaye and members of the executive.

The participants would also be making presentation on the response of the Hindus on the suggestion of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to be lenient towards Muslims. How far the hatred campaign of Modi against Muslims has electorally harmed the interest of the BJP. Results of the Lok Sabha elections sent a very depressing news that Hindus across the country were turning their backs on RSS. While the pracharasks would be expected to clarify the position, they are also likely to suggest what should be done to ameliorate the situation.

The selection process for the new party chief is getting delayed as RSS desires to have a person in place who is acceptable to all sections of the society and can also give a shape to Bhagwat’s appeal to reach out to Muslims. In BJP’s poor performance,Muslims have played a major role. RSS leaders do not subscribe to Modi’s view about the Congress. RSS leaders are not also happy at the attitude of two NDA allies TDP and JD(U). They nurse the impression that these two parties are unreliable, the NDA coalition may collapse any day.

The Ranchi meeting that way, has assumed special significance in the stand off between Prime Minister and the RSS. The deliberations will show whether RSS leadership has the guts to impose their own candidate as the next president of BJP defying the diktat of Narendra Modi. (IPA Service)