Marking the centenary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), its chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday sought to clarify the organisation’s role in the BJP-led Union government, stressing that while there are occasional “struggles” in coordination, there is no quarrel between the two. Speaking at the ‘RSS Centenary Lecture Series’ at Delhi’s Vigyan Bhavan, Bhagwat said the Sangh and the government maintain good coordination at both the Centre and state levels. He admitted that contradictions are inevitable within systems, adding that struggles may arise, but insisted these should not be read as conflicts. “When compromise is attempted, the struggle only deepens,” he said, while maintaining that relations remain cooperative. Rejecting Opposition allegations that the BJP functions under the RSS’s directions, Bhagwat asserted that the Sangh “only offers suggestions” but never interferes in government affairs. He emphasised that decision-making is the prerogative of the party, remarking that “they are the experts in running the country, we are not.” He further conceded that the RSS and BJP do not always agree on every issue but expressed confidence that differences would eventually converge. Decisions, he said, are taken collectively within the party, while the RSS confines itself to its organisational work. In what many interpreted as a veiled jab at the BJP’s delay in leadership appointments, Bhagwat observed that if the Sangh were indeed making the decisions, matters would not drag on. The comment was read as an allusion to the uncertainty over a successor to BJP president J P Nadda, whose term expired nearly two years ago but who continues in office. Bhagwat also pointed to changing perceptions of the Sangh among political opponents, citing figures from Jayaprakash Narayan to former President Pranab Mukherjee who, he said, had altered their views over time.

Source: The New Indian Express