Bengaluru: BJP national general secretary B.L. Santhosh, colleagues say, is such a patriot he has seen the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Chak De! India “at least 10 times”.
When one of his colleagues asked Santhosh what exactly he liked about the movie, a classic underdog story based on a women’s hockey team and their coach, he reportedly said every frame “inspires him”. Every frame, he is said to have claimed, “brings out the patriot in me”.
An RSS man, Santhosh is the BJP’s national general secretary for organisation, a post reserved for senior RSS pracharaks.
Incumbents are known to be extremely powerful since they serve as the link between the BJP and its parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
His predecessors were largely known to play more of a backroom role and keep a low-profile, but Santhosh seems to be giving the post a new turn with his vocal social media posturing on issues such as the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the protest against last week’s violence on JNU campaign.
Under the tutelage of BJP president Amit Shah, he has also become one of the BJP’s top strategists.
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‘Different’
Bommarabettu Laxmijanardhana Santhosh, better known as B.L. Santhosh, was appointed the BJP national general secretary (organisation) in July last year, succeeding Ram Lal, who held the post for 13 years.
“He is already being looked at on a par with BJP working president J.P. Nadda, who is second-in-command after Shah in the BJP,” a senior BJP leader added.
BJP functionaries who have watched him closely say Santhosh had always been vocal about his opinions, but is now also using social media to communicate the party’s stand on issues.
He is the VC of #JNU … The third most hated person by left liberals of this country … Here he is bound by his duty amidst the vandalism to prevent him from discharging his duties … You deserve a bow Sir ….??? pic.twitter.com/YQ3JZrWxMz
— B L Santhosh (@blsanthosh) January 7, 2020
Don’t be fooled … First Umar Khalid , Shehla Rashid , Kanhaiah … Then Barkha , Choubey , Guptha , Haider … then Rahul , Priyanka , Kejriwal … Tomorrow Stalin , Mamata , Yechury … Then the strike on campuses .. For 60 years same cycle … Only names change …
— B L Santhosh (@blsanthosh) January 5, 2020
Nation is slowly standing up to the challenge posed by Cong , Jehadi , Urban Naxals , Ultra left designs & nexus … Sambhavami Yuge Yuge …. #IndiaSupportsCAA
— B L Santhosh (@blsanthosh) December 21, 2019
Amidst the din of Delhi , Mumbai & celebrities endorsing divisive elements the hinterland shows the way … Kozhikode in support of #CAA … #IndiaSupportsCAA pic.twitter.com/U7eGVm3JlR
— B L Santhosh (@blsanthosh) January 7, 2020
BJP spokesperson Malavika Avinash said Santhosh understands social media and how well it can help garner support.
“He is a new-generation leader who understands how effective social media is and has been voicing his opinion on all burning issues for the last many years. He is also technically qualified to do so,” she added.
‘Talent hunter’
When the BJP formed its first government in south India, in Karnataka in 2008, the credit was attributed to not just Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, but also Santhosh, who belongs to the state.
Those who have worked with Santhosh believe his strongest qualities are his ability to build a cadre, remain rooted, and also create a blueprint for the BJP’s future while staying true to the RSS ideology.
In recent times, Santhosh has become an efficient talent hunter for the BJP, picking out and grooming young and aggressive leaders for bigger roles, including Tejasvi Surya, the youngest BJP MP in the current Lok Sabha.
Such is his influence in the party that, during candidate selection for the 2019 Lok Sabha election, he convinced the BJP to pick Surya, a young lawyer, over Yediyurappa’s choice for the Bengaluru South seat — Tejaswini, the widow of the late six-time MP Ananth Kumar who had represented the constituency.
Not only did Surya win the seat, he defeated senior Congress leader B.K. Hariprasad by a margin of 3.3 lakh votes.
‘Mentor to many leaders’
An RSS karyakarta who has been working with Santhosh for a decade said he managed to influence young workers to understand the ideology of the party and work towards building a stronger base in the country.
Mysore MP Prathap Simha, a former journalist who is now a two-term parliamentarian, is one of the young BJP leaders groomed by Santhosh.
“Could anybody imagine that a 28-year-old Tejasvi Surya or a journalist like me would become MPs at such a young age?” he said, when asked how he trained under Santhosh. “At no point of time would he reveal his mind, but he quietly observes your work and lauds you by giving you bigger responsibilities. That is his way of showing his trust in you.”
According to Vinod Krishnamurthy, vice-president of the Karnataka BJP Yuva Morcha, Santhosh “has a keen eye to detect talent of hardworking workers and take them under his wing to create a world-class leader”.
“He has had a huge influence on me too. He has not only encouraged me to take bigger national roles but also prodded me to improve my skill to learn languages such as Hindi and English, so that I can communicate with the high-command and the people more effectively,” said C.T. Ravi, another young BJP leader who currently serves as Karnataka’s culture and tourism minister.
Ravi added that talent-spotting and organisational skills were Santhosh’s biggest strengths.
“He is the Chanakya who can identify and build a world leader. He is able to identify your strengths and weaknesses in a few minutes. He communicates to you on the spot on how you can contribute to the organisation based on your strengths and then guides you, nurtures you, scolds you and brings out the best in you,” added a Bengaluru-based RSS functionary who did not want to be named.
BJP spokesperson Malavika Avinash said Santhosh represents a new generation. He understands social media and how it could help garner support.
“He is a new generation leader who understands how effective social media is and has been voicing his opinion on all burning issues for the last many years. He is also technically qualified to do so,” she told ThePrint.
Sunil Kulkarni, the Mangaluru prachar pramukh for the RSS and close associate of Santhosh since 1994, described Santhosh as a “visionary”.
“We have seen how he is able to envision how a person can take up a particular responsibility and deliver on it as well, that is a rare talent,” he added.
According to Simha, both the RSS and the BJP acknowledge Santhosh’s ability to keep the pack together in turbulent times, like in 2012, when Yediyurappa briefly split from the party to form his own outfit, the Karnataka Janata Paksha (it was merged into the BJP in 2014).
At the time, Santhosh is said to have played a crucial role in ensuring senior BJP leaders did not defect to Yediyurappa’s side, instead encouraging them to work harder to resolve differences and bring back the aggrieved party members.
According to RSS insiders, Santhosh truly believes everything he does is for the greater good of the country and hates any attempts to influence his thoughts and actions.
“He has zero tolerance to influence and lack of talent. He also does not like people who go against the RSS ideology, especially for political gains,” said a source at the RSS shakha in Bengaluru.
His command over multiple languages like Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Tulu, Malayalam and English, has made him popular among karyakartas across the country.
“What I like best about him is that he may look tough from the outside, but he is a man with a golden heart,” said Kulkarni.
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This report has been updated with additional information