POWER GAMES

Despite the misgivings in some quarters, the RSS knows Modi remains their best bet for now to retain political and ideological hegemony

- Rajdeep Sardesai

“In the Congress, we play out our faction fights in the public glare, the BJP does it behind closed doors,” laments a senior Congress leader.

The Shashi Tharoor versus Congress saga in Kerala and the Siddaramaiah versus DK Shivakumar soap opera in Karnataka are fresh examples of the Congress propensity for scoring self-goals through public recrimination. By contrast, the power tussles within the BJP and intra-sangh parivar battles rarely get the same attention because the mikes are kept firmly out of the picture.

Then be it the Amit Shah versus Yogi Adityanath turf war in UP or the BJP versus RSS wrangle that has delayed the announcement of a new BJP president for several months now, the warring doesn’t make headlines because of a fearful veil of silence in the ranks.

Which is one reason why RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's recent remarks advising public figures to step aside and ‘retire’ at 75 years have raised more than a few eyebrows. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will turn 75 in September as will ironically Bhagwat. The opposition has been quick to seize on the RSS leader's comments, claiming that the saffron brotherhood’s paterfamilias wants to urgently effect a ‘succession plan’ in the BJP.