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The RSS Sarsanghchalak’s address on Vijayadashmi address has traditionally been considered an important political statement. Since 2013, when the BJP was on the cusp of power, the RSS has been careful in the choice of words and topics on Vijayadashmi. Apart from parroting the familiar line on matters political, the RSS for the first time walked away with the Swadeshi Jagran Manch’s (SJM) domain expertise on economic issues. It thus robbed the SJM of its nuisance and destabilising potential amply exhibited during the Vajpayee years at the Centre. With the Modi government having crossed the half-way mark, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has tried to play the role of a thoughtful and understanding conscience keeper.
His is a counsel Modi can ignore only at his peril at a time when the administration is muffing up economic management. As the Centre’s pro-poor frontage begins to lose its glossy finish, the counsel couldn’t be more opportune because the government has an ample two full fiscal years to make amends. What comes out clearly from Bhagwat’s address is the government has fallen short of the Sangh Parivar’s yardstick on all the issues that brought it to power — controlling corruption, effective implementation of welfare schemes et al. If security causes a crease on the RSS brow, so does the mismanagement of the economy.
The RSS chief’s gentle broadsides are aimed at the national economy’s managers; from PM downward, including the lackluster performance of the Niti Aayog, entirely a Narendra Modi creation. Or about the slippages in economic performance. PM Modi needs the RSS muscle for his political projects where there is a meeting of minds. But it is crucial to win back the core RSS base of small traders and entrepreneurs who had kept it relevant in the bazaars during its lean years, because the poor may not be enthusiastic foot soldiers for the 2019 elections. Beneath the kid gloves of encouragement, the iron fist is twitching. The time for the Modi government to heed the RSS chief is here and now.
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