In its first reaction to the BJP's below par performance in the high decibel just concluded general elections, the ruling party's ideologue, RSS, has apparently come out in defence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he was being criticised for winning less than majority LS seats and blamed on the party workers for the kind of show which has forced Modi to be on toes given the coalition needs.
In an obvious reference to the BJP's remarks mid way elections that the party does not need RSS to contest elections, RSS in an article noted that though the RSS is not a "field force" of the BJP, the party leaders and workers did not reach out to its 'swayamsevaks' (volunteers) seeking their cooperation in electoral work. The LS poll results have come as a reality check for "overconfident" BJP workers and many of its leaders as they were happy in their "bubble" and enjoying the glow of Modi's aura but not listening to the voices on the streets.
The RSS linked magazine "Organiser" mentioned this.
Neglect of older dedicated workers who worked without the urge for recognition by the new age social media-aided selfie powered activists was also evident in the poll results, it said.
"Results of 2024 general elections have come as a reality check for overconfident BJP karyakartas and many leaders. They did not realise that Prime Minister Narendra Modiji's call of 400 plus (seats) was a target for them and a dare to the Opposition," noted in the article.
The BJP with 240 seats fell short of a majority but the NDA secured the mandate with 293 seats in the Lok Sabha polls. The Congress bagged 99 seats while the INDIA bloc got 234 seats. Following the polls, two Independents who won have also pledged support to the Congress, taking the INDIA bloc tally to 236.
RSS ideologue also flagged "unnecessary politicking" as one of the many reasons behind the BJP's underperformance in the Lok Sabha polls.
"Maharashtra is a prime example of unnecessary politicking and avoidable manipulations. NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar joined BJP though BJP and split SS (Shiv Sena) had a comfortable majority. Sharad Pawar would have faded away in two-three years as NCP would have lost energy with infighting between cousins," it said.
"Why was this ill-advised step taken? BJP supporters were hurt because they had fought against this Congress ideology for years and were persecuted. In a single stroke, BJP reduced its brand value. After years of struggle to become numero uno in Maharashtra, it became just another political party without any difference," he added.
The BJP fared poorly in Maharashtra as it could win only nine seats compared to the 2019 tally of 23 constituencies out of the total 48. Shiv Sena led by Shinde faction bagged seven seats and Ajit Pawar-led NCP just one.
Without naming any leader, author of the article Ratan Sharda said the induction of Congressmen into the BJP, who had "actively promoted" the bogey of saffron terror and persecuted Hindus and also called 26/11 'RSS ki sazish' and branded RSS as a terrorist organisation, showed the BJP "in poor light" and also hurt the RSS sympathisers "immensely".
Sharda noted that the idea that Modi was fighting on all 543 Lok Sabha seats had "a limited value". "This idea became self-defeating when the candidates were changed, imposed at the cost of local leaders and defectors given more importance. Sacrificing even well performing parliamentarians to accommodate late comers hurt. It is estimated that around 25 percent of candidates were seasonal migrants," he said.
"This happened despite the shocking experience of 30 per cent rebels in the last Himachal Pradesh elections that resulted in defeat of the BJP. Local issues, track record of the candidate does matter, one can see. Disinterest of local BJP workers was due to this factor too," he added.
