Signalling continuity in its hierarchy, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Saturday re-elected its second-in-command, Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi, for another three-year term.
This will be his fourth term as Sarkaryavah (general secretary), which will continue till 2021. Joshi was chosen during the RSS' ongoing annual conference in Nagpur.
It was believed that a change may be effected because of 70-year-old Joshi's health, but the Sangh, however, gave him another term. This sends a message across to its affiliated bodies and even the BJP. The current Sah-Sarkaryavah (joint general secretary), Dattatreya Hosable, was expected to succeed Joshi.
Hosable is considered to be close to the current leadership of the BJP including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Had he become the number two in the organisation, a large number of changes were expected in almost all the frontal organisations, including of those people who officially liaise with the BJP from the Sangh.
Joshi will now pick up a new team of officeholders of the Sangh who would carry the work forward. Before these elections for the post of Sarkaryavah, changes were brought about in some of the officeholders of the frontal bodies of the Sangh, including the VHP, which led to a lot of speculation in the saffron family.
Now, all eyes will be on whether Joshi brings about changes in the officeholders of the Sangh.
These Sangh elections were also watched keenly as the BJP is preparing for the next Lok Sabha polls. Had Hosable been elected, it would have been much more easier for Modi to orient the activities of the Sangh activists for the elections.
On the second day of the RSS' annual meeting—Akhil Bharatiya Praitinidhi Sabha—it also passed a resolution for promotion of regional languages in India through teaching in the mother tongue.
“The languages and dialects, prevalent in the country, are most essential to protect our culture, noble traditions, excellent knowledge and vast literature as well as to promote creative thinking. The oral tradition of knowledge in the form of songs, idioms and folklore etc in various languages is many times more than the written literature,” the resolution said.
“The declining trend in the practice and usage of Bharatiya languages, elimination of their words and replacement by words of foreign languages are emerging as a serious challenge,” the resolution said.
The RSS said the governments, policymakers and society, including the voluntary organisations, should endeavour to undertake all kinds of efforts to protect and promote various languages and dialects of the country. This could be done by ensuring primary education across the country is provided only in respective mother tongues.
It also called for making available all teaching and study material in all faculties, including the technical and medical, in Indian languages.
“It is a welcome initiative that the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and examinations being conducted by the Union Public Service Commission have now been started in Bharatiya languages. Along with this, the same option should be available for all other entrance tests and competitive examinations still not being conducted in Bharatiya languages,” the resolution added.
It also suggested that preference should be given to Indian languages in all governmental and judicial works. In addition to this, Indian languages should be encouraged in governmental and non-governmental appointments, promotions and all kinds of functions, instead of giving preference to English.