November 21, 2024

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has quietly taken the first step to assert his authority vis-à-vis the RSS. He is believed to have told the RSS chief Mohan Bhagawat that he will deal directly with him on all matters and will not talk to assorted persons claiming to be chiefs of various organizations of the Hindutva body. He is also believed to have told Bhagavat in no uncertain terms that he needs space to fulfill the promises made to the people and that the RSS needs to rein in aggressive parivar members from disrupting the growth agenda. This is a huge step in the right direction.

For a long time now, various groups, including the Church and Muslim minority organizations, have been saying that the prime ministerâ€â"¢s silence on issues such as the ghar wapasi or reconversion drive undertaken by Hindutva elements meant that he approved of the same. But was it necessary for the prime minister to shout from the rooftops that he was not in favour of that? Narendra Modi has time and again said that he believes in inclusive growth – growth that involves all Indians irrespective of their religion, caste or creed. If some organizations create mischief he can ask the administration to proceed against them. But the problem is that the reconversion drive is not illegal. No law in India says that you cannot convert or reconvert a person. If this was illegal, how do Christian missionaries convert people?

The problem with the drive was that it created a sense of insecurity among the minorities. So the best way to tackle it was to ask the head of the organization that shelters these elements to ask them not to undertake such divisive drives which have the potential of derailing the growth agenda of the government. The prime minister has done precisely that. The problem is most people do not give enough credit to Narendra Modi for his intellect, smartness or problem solving abilities.

Having asserted his authority in the best possible way, the prime minister is now sure to keep tabs on the goings on, and is sure to come down hard on disruptive schemes of the RSS and its various offshoots. Make no mistake; Narendra Modi is driving a hard bargain in his effort to bring about ache din. Disruptions in parliament or by the parent body of the BJP will not stop him. He is going to tackle each problem in what he thinks is the best way. The RSS will have to start living with this.