DISCORD IN THE FAMILY

RSS VS BJP

- Anilesh S. Mahajan

At the end of his seventh year as the country’s prime minister, Narendra Modi would never have thought his relationship with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) would be on such slippery ground. After all, pracharak-turnedpolitician Modi has delivered on at least two of the Sangh’s obsessions—the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and the abolition of Art. 370 and with it Jammu & Kashmir’s special status. Yet, the second Covid surge—where the country has officially reported some 40,000 deaths in the first 10 days of May—has caused much friction between the Modi regime and the Sangh.

The focus of Sangh affiliates right now is on relief work but there is growing discomfort about the near-absence of the government and the political leadership on the ground. Unlike last year, the prime minister has not addresed the nation about the situation, while his ministers seem to be active only on social media. “India’s second wave has been catastrophic, claiming many more lives than in 2020. Everyone is worried—but now is not the time to criticise,” says a top RSS leader. However, the unease is palpable, reflected in sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat’s remarks: “Kya janata, kya shasan, kya prashasan, sabhi gaflat mein aa gaye (the people, the rulers, everyone was caught off-guard)”. Known to weigh his words carefully, Bhagwat’s choice of the Urdu word ‘gaflat’ (it can mean inattentive but also laxity) raised eyebrows.

Many in the BJP immediately started hyping this as a clean chit from the Sangh, but no one was fooled. Some dissected the statement further: why did the