Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday dismissed the perception that the Sangh dictates the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) decisions, stressing that the party is independent in running the government and conducting its own affairs.
Speaking on Day 3 of the ‘RSS Centenary Lecture Series – 100 Years of Sangh’s Journey: New Horizons’ at Vigyan Bhavan in Delhi, Bhagwat underlined that the RSS “only offers suggestions” but never interferes in the BJP’s decision-making process.
“This is completely wrong. This cannot happen,” Bhagwat said, responding to a question on whether “everything in BJP is managed and arranged by the Sangh.”Drawing a comparison, he remarked, “I have been running the Shakha for 50 years. If someone gives me a suggestion, I will listen. But the party is running the country. They are experts in that. We (RSS) are not.”
He added that while the RSS can advise, the final call always rests with the BJP leadership. In a pointed remark on delays in the BJP’s internal elections, including the selection of its next party president, Bhagwat quipped: “If we were deciding everything, would it have taken so much time? They should take their own time.”
On the Sangh’s broader relationship with government, Bhagwat said the organisation coordinates well with both central and state administrations, irrespective of political party. However, he flagged structural challenges, noting that India’s governance system, largely inherited from the British, has “internal contradictions.”
“Even if the man in the chair is 100 per cent for us, he has to work through hurdles. He may succeed or he may not. We give him independence. There is no quarrel anywhere,” he explained.Addressing examples of friction, Bhagwat cited differences between trade unions, small-scale industry bodies, and the government, stressing that such contradictions are natural.
Our swayamsevaks work honestly. We allow experiments, and if results are good, everyone accepts,” he said. Bhagwat reiterated that the Sangh and the BJP “trust each other” but differences on issues are natural. “We are not at loggerheads. We are trying to extract the truth, which includes struggle, but it does not mean quarrel.”