The RSS sought to quell speculations of a possible rift with the BJP amid Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat's recent critical remarks related to the Lok Sabha performance of the BJP and senior Sangh functionary Indresh Kumar's statement that Lord Ram stopped those who had become arrogant at 241.
At an event in Jaipur on Thursday, Kumar, the national executive member of the RSS, had said, "The party which did the bhakti (of lord Ram) but became arrogant was stopped at 241 but it was made the biggest party, and those who had no faith in Ram, they together were stopped at 234."
The remarks by Kumar had followed the recent statements by Bhagwat that included a possible dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying a “true sevak is never arrogant”. Bhagwat had also expressed concern over peace eluding Manipur even after one year, criticised the vicious rhetoric during the polls, and called for moving on instead of unnecessary talks on what and how of the elections after results were out.
Kumar attempted to clarify his statement saying, "The country's atmosphere is crystal clear right now; those who opposed Lord Ram are out of power, and those who took the pledge of devotion towards Lord Ram are in power today and a government has been formed under the leadership of Narendra Modi for the third time. The country will make progress under his leadership; there is this trust among the people. We hope that this trust thrives," ANI quoted him as saying.
Meanwhile, sources in the Sangh also clarified that there is no rift between the RSS and the BJP. "There was not much difference in his (Bhagwat) speech from what he had given after the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Any address is bound to make a reference to an event as important as national elections. But it was misinterpreted and taken out of context to create confusion. His 'arrogance' remark was never directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi or any BJP leader," news agency quoted PTI RSS sources as saying.
The RSS sources also rejected the view that the Sangh was not involved in the polling process in support of the saffron party this time. "The RSS does not campaign but creates awareness among people and it did its work during the elections. All over the country, we held lakhs of meetings. In Delhi alone, we held over one lakh small group meetings," an official source in the RSS said.
—With agency inputs
