RSS’ stark warning to BJP: Listen to us or Perish

Sangh insists on criteria for candidate selection, prioritising grassroots connections and ideological commitment

Mumbai: As Maharashtra gears up for the Assembly elections, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is expressing growing discontent with the BJP’s approach to the polls. Sources familiar with the situation suggest that the RSS has issued a stern warning to the BJP: shape up or face consequences. This tension underscores the larger anxiety within the RSS over the BJP's dismal performance in Maharashtra in the June 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Implicit in the RSS’s intervention is the threat that failure to heed its advice could lead to a rupture in the relationship between the two organizations.

“The RSS has indicated to the BJP that this will be the last opportunity for the party to correct itself. If it fails, the RSS may find an alternative to the BJP,” said a source close to the developments.

He revealed that the RSS has laid down specific guidelines and expectations for the BJP, emphasizing that this election represents the party's last chance to align with the Sangh's vision and restore its standing.

The source further said the RSS had made it clear that Maharashtra election was “a litmus test” for the BJP as far as its relations with the Sangh are concerned. “If the BJP does not listen to what Sangh says, the Sangh might explore other options in the near future. And this message has been clearly conveyed to the BJP leaders. Now, it us up to the BJP whether or not listen to the RSS.”

In a series of meetings held across Maharashtra's key regions—Konkan, Western Maharashtra, Devgiri and Vidarbha—the RSS leadership conveyed its dissatisfaction directly to senior BJP figures including Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, state BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule, and former state president Chandrakant Patil.

One of the RSS’s primary concerns is the disconnect between BJP leaders and the party’s traditional supporters. The Sangh has observed a growing sense of disillusionment among loyal BJP workers, who feel sidelined by what they perceive as the arrogance and aloofness of the current leadership. In its meetings, the RSS leadership stressed the need for BJP leaders to engage more authentically with the party base.

“The RSS has categorically told to the BJP leaders that they will have to reach out to the party workers and sympathisers with an open heart and mind,” the source said. “The RSS believes that the loyal BJP workers are dejected because of the arrogance and aloofness of the party leaders. If these workers are won over the BJP could get back in a position to put up a fight in the election.”

In June, a closed-door meeting in Pune’s Moti Baug area further highlighted the depth of the RSS’s concerns. The meeting, which included several BJP leaders — either defeated candidates or campaign managers from losing constituencies—served as a forum for the RSS to directly convey its displeasure with the BJP’s campaign strategies and organizational shortcomings.

For the RSS, this is not just about winning an election; it is about safeguarding the ideological integrity of a movement that has shaped India’s political landscape for nearly a century. After the current ‘ultimatum,’ the onus is on the BJP to correct course and realign with the Sangh’s expectations.