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PM-RSS chief meet steers clear of contentious issues

Amberish K Diwanji in New Delhi

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's new Sarsanghachalak (chief) Kuppahalli Seetaramaiyya Sudarshan called on Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at his residence for tea yesterday. The meeting, which lasted for almost two hours, was the first between the two after Sudarshan took over as the RSS sarsanghachalak on March 10, 2000.

Also present at the meeting were Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani and Human Resources Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi, besides Bharatiya Janata Party president Kushabhau Thakre, vice-president Jana Krishnamurthi, and general secretaries M Venkaiah Naidu and K N Govindacharya.

From the RSS side, Sudarshan was accompanied by his second in command, sarkaryavah (general secretary) Mohan Bhagwat, sahsarkaryavah (joint general secretary) Madandas Devi, and senior ideologue and Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh chief Dattopant Thengdi. Rajendra Singh, who stepped down as the RSS chief to let Sudarshan take over, was also present.

The meeting assumed significance in light of the statements made by Sudarshan on taking over as RSS chief wherein he had criticised the economic advisors to the government, blaming them for certain wrong policies being pursued. However, the government had rebuffed the statements saying they were the RSS' private opinion.

The RSS is considered the parent organisation of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the largest party in the ruling National Democratic Alliance. Most of the top BJP leaders today, both in government and out of it, were at some point or the other members of the RSS, which describes itself as a socio-economic organisation.

Vajpayee, Advani, Joshi, Thakre, and Krishnamurthi were all former members, while Govindacharya is still an RSS member even as he holds the post of BJP general secretary.

Addressing the media after the meeting was over, Naidu and Joshi said that the session was most conducive with a frank exchange of ideas.

Naidu stated that the two sides primarily discussed the outbreak of terrorist violence in the country, especially in Kashmir and the north-east. He added that economic issues were not discussed at all. "We did not discuss any economic issues. Our talks were limited to the political situation in the country and the terrorist threat to it," said Naidu.

He added that recently some RSS workers were kidnapped by insurgents in Tripura, a topic that was raised by the RSS leaders in their talks with the government and the BJP leaders.

The BJP general secretary stated that the visit of United States President Bill Clinton was also discussed "in passing". "We talked about the visit and its impact on our future relations, but only very briefly," he said.

Naidu and Joshi dismissed speculation about a conflict over certain issues, especially the economic policies being pursued by the government. "Economic issues were not discussed," they asserted.

Incidentally, Sudarshan, Thengdi and the new crop of the top RSS leadership are opposed to the government's policy of allowing foreign investment into the country, preferring the swadeshi (nationalist economic) plank. Thengdi had strongly opposed the plan to let foreign insurance countries enter the country, a move supported by Sudarshan in his earlier role as RSS general secretary.

The RSS is also upset that the Union government was forced to revoke the Gujarat order allowing the state government employees to join the RSS, a move strongly opposed by virtually the entire Opposition parties and some of the NDA constituents.

Today's meeting was also significant since in the earlier meetings between the BJP leaders and the RSS, the former would call on the latter. However, while Sudarshan is the RSS chief, he is junior to Vajpayee in the RSS, the reason believed to be behind his calling on the prime minister.

With the meeting not touching the issues of discord, it is left for another day.

Sudarshan returns to Nagpur, where the RSS headquarters is located, today. However, he is due back in Delhi a week later.

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