Team Narendra Modi is out to create a synergy between BJP and RSS workers to achieve what the Gujarat Chief Minister often calls a “Congress Mukt Bharat”. His campaign managers will compile a list of RSS workers offering Gurudakshina to the outfit’s saffron flag on July 22 to prepare a “realistic” database of Swayamsevaks, who would be eventually contacted to provide a cutting edge to BJP’s campaign management.
The RSS does not maintain a database of its workers and Modi’s effort would be the first of its kind even in the history of the BJP. Sangh workers consider the saffron flag as their Guru and offer money on Vyaspurnima. Starting from that day, the Gurudakshina programme usually continues for a month.
“BJP and RSS workers have been working in tandem for the last many years. For different reasons, this mechanism has not been yielding the kind of result it had in the past. We need to revisit this issue to see how there could be an improved synergy between the workers of the two organisations,” a member of the Modi-headed campaign committee told The Pioneer.
BJP leaders feel though Swayamsevaks are ideologically close to the BJP, several of them in most parts of the country have gradually “distanced” themselves from party’s political activities.
“We want that these Swayamsevaks should not only come out to vote, but should also utilise their influence in the neighbourhood to make people cast vote in favour of the BJP. This is how things worked in the past,” the BJP leader said.
On Thursday, members of the Campaign Committee, which is yet to be formally constituted, would brief BJP’s parliamentary board on their campaign plans for the national election. After this meeting, the party would slowly roll out its plan.
The BJP is planning to hold conferences of target audiences -self employed professions like Doctors, Chartered Accountants; Government and private sector employees, teachers, youths and others. Modi would address some of these conferences at major cities in the coming days. Modi wants ‘optimal’ utilisation of IT and social networking sites to create and “atmosphere” to BJP’s advantage. At a recent meeting he even told party leaders that internet provides a good tool to reach out to roughly 14 crore people.
BJP’s three-layered strategy is to mobilise party workers during monsoon, then asks party leaders at lower level to reach out to people individually and finally launch a full scale campaign closer to the national election.
Team Modi is also collecting details about issues that will be at play in 300-odd seats where the BJP is in a direct contest. BJP feels the national campaign will have to be adequately supplemented with these regional issues to get the best result. Party leaders claim underdevelopment of Bundelkhand region, separate Telangana demand in Andhra Pradesh, similar Gorkhaland demand in West Bengal, irregularities in teachers’ appointment in Bihar and many more were such issues that take precedence over “national issues” in respective areas.
“When BJP won 182 seats, it contested on roughly 325 seats. Alliance did play a major role in getting seats in States likes Assam, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The party is not in a good shape in these areas and we will have to improve our strike rate in the next election to reach closer to our best performance or perhaps surpass it,” BJP leaders privy to the development said.