Away from the Mandir, back to the shakhas

A new memorandum by RSS chief K S Sudharshan has made it official that the Ayodhya issue is now dead as a doornail, and that the organisation has to return to building its strength through the shakhas, its basic unit

By Arun Anand

It's getting back to basics. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has given a clarion call to all old and new swayamsevaks to work for the fundamental cause of Hindutva, realising after its ‘brush’ with power at the centre through the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led alliance that it is out of depth in politics. For the RSS, the Ram Janmabhoomi issue has officially been declared passe.
In a four page ‘personal’ letter, handwritten by RSS chief K S Sudershan and sent to swayamsevaks countrywide along with some other interesting documents, the RSS has indicated that a paradigm shift is taking place in its thinking, strategy and future plans. Sudershan has taken the opportunity of the centenary celebrations of MS Golwalkar to initiate this shift. The letter clearly mentions that during the celebrations some common programmes have been chalked out.

Till a couple of years ago, no discourse of the RSS brass was complete without carping on the resolve to build a temple on the disputed Ayodhya site.

"But it seems that reality has dawned on them that the issue does not hold any appeal to the masses now and this quite evident from the way BJP's fortunes have nose dived in Uttar Pradesh where the Ram Temple issue had brought the party to power in the state. Today the party has lost much ground to rivals like BSP and SP," says the letter.

It also directs swayamsevaks to organise at least one town- or block-level ‘mega Hindu conference’. Specific directions have been given about the issues to be discussed, including social equity, the changing composition of the population, swadeshi, and Golwalkar’s life and philosophy in the context of RSS shakhas and programmes. Activists are also to organise at least one programme for college students in every district. “The minimum number of the students should be 100," writes Sudarshan.

"It is a bit shocking that Sudershanji has not made any mention of the temple movements at Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura," says a senior Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader who has no idea that lakhs of copies of the letter have reached every level of the RSS.

Sudarshan begins his letter with, “The first generation of RSS workers is no more and the second generation is also on its way out…”

"In fact,” says a senior RSS functionary, “the RSS is feeling the pinch with its daily shakhas affected in recent times due to the pressure of changing life styles, especially in cities. There have been serious discussions on this issue and it is once again being emphasised that the organisation has to strengthen its basic unit, the shakha."

The letter also indicates that the RSS has decided to distance itself from the BJP and, perhaps, the VHP, too. The former has been too ‘soft’, the later too ‘hotheaded’.

Many in the RSS feel that Sudershan's letter should be seen in context of the debate in RSS about the way Hindutva has now to be projected and propagated. "Our political experiment has not been so successful as BJP gave two hoots to the RSS agenda when in power. Moreover, internal bickering, allegations of corruption and elevation of many non-swayamsevaks to senior positions has rendered the party useless to us," says a senior RSS executive member.