New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s appointment of Ram Madhav as one of its in-charges for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir elections signals the “return” of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in a commanding position in its equations with the ideological protégé that was asserting its independence in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, multiple leaders in the two organisations have told ThePrint.
Madhav had been removed as a BJP general secretary in 2020 when the new party president, J.P. Nadda, reconstituted his team.
A leader who was credited with the BJP’s ascension in the northeast and J&K, and who was at the forefront of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s outreach to the Indian diaspora, Madhav had fallen out with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, which led to him being sidelined in the party, multiple BJP leaders told ThePrint. Sources said that even during Modi’s foreign visits, Madhav had stopped playing an active role as he used to.
The RSS then rehabilitated him as a member of its executive council the next year. He was “quietly doing his own thing”, especially focusing on the India Foundation under which many activities, including conclaves, were being organised in several countries.
On Tuesday, the BJP named Madhav and Union minister G. Kishan Reddy as in-charges for the assembly elections in the Union territory. The polling will happen in three phases on 18 September, 25 September and 1 October, and the results will be announced on 4 October.
Madhav’s return to the BJP in a crucial role has come at a time when the BJP has been seeking to mend its relations with its ideological patron. Statements by senior leaders had hinted at differences between the two, but after the setback in the last Lok Sabha elections in which the indifference of RSS cadres was said to have played a major role, the BJP has grown deferential to the Sangh again and has been actively seeking its help in poll-bound states.
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Better prospects for BJP in J&K polls
Madhav’s return is significant particularly because the BJP fancies its chances to form the government in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Madhav’s appointment is a clear indication that the BJP wants to put its best foot forward as far as J&K is concerned and it will do all that it can to ensure better prospects for the party in the region. The elections are a challenge and the party wants to deliver,” said a party functionary from J&K.
“Madhav ji has worked in the region, he knows candidates across party lines and even the Independent candidates, which always comes in handy. In a situation where the party can explore government formation, his expertise will help. J&K is also more crucial than other states because the party took the decision to remove Article 370, and it has greater symbolic value,” he added.
Madhav played a crucial role in the BJP’s tie-up with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015. “The power dynamics are certainly changing as far as the BJP and the RSS are concerned. As far as Ram Madhav ji is concerned, he has expertise when it comes to Jammu and Kashmir. In fact, he had played a crucial role in stitching the alliance between the PDP and the BJP. It would not be wrong to say he understands the dynamics as well as the pulse of the region, and currently the party needs to ensure it delivers, especially after the abrogation of Article 370 in J&K,” said a party leader.
The 2014 assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir saw the largest voter turnout in 25 years, with the PDP getting the highest seat share, followed closely by the BJP. Days after the results, both parties started official talks on drafting a common minimum programme (CMP) to build a bridge between their divergent ideologies. At a press conference, then BJP president Amit Shah and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said the two parties had “ironed out” their ideological differences and were forming the government.
‘RSS will not play second fiddle’
Moreover, according to a senior BJP leader, the feedback that the party received in the Union territory as well as three states where assembly elections are due—Haryana, Maharashtra, and Jharkhand—was not encouraging, so it has decided to “put the best people on the job”.
“Combined with this, the below-par performance of the party in the Lok Sabha elections, which led to the formation of a coalition government—restricting the BJP’s room for manoeuvre—means the RSS is no longer ready to play second fiddle and is back in the driver’s seat,” explained the BJP leader.
“The fact that the BJP has not been able to announce the name of the new party president is also because it needs to have the RSS on board,” the leader said.
A source in the Sangh said Madhav’s appointment was a signal that “mausam badal raha hai’” (the situation is changing), adding that more changes will be visible at the organisational level in the coming days.
It is learnt that Madhav’s return was discussed by the top leadership of both the BJP and the Sangh. A senior party leader requesting anonymity told ThePrint that Madhav’s appointment is a “clear assertion by the RSS that it will play a crucial role when it comes to significant issues and more such changes are in the offing”.
“In the meetings held over a period of time with the top brass, it was highlighted that whoever can help ensure a better victory for the party should be engaged. It was felt that Madhav’s experience should be utilised, at a time when elections are taking place for the first time after the abrogation of Article 370 in the region,” said a party leader.
“Madhav ji ki wapsi zaroori bhi hai aur majboori bhi (his return is a matter of compulsion as well as a necessity). In simple words, we can call it political pragmatism, which has become more essential in the current political landscape,” said one of the BJP leaders quoted above.
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Working on better coordination with RSS
The BJP is also conscious of the fact that it needs to have better coordination with the RSS, something that was missing during the Lok Sabha campaigning because a large section of the RSS cadre had stayed away from the election work, leading to a reduced tally for the party.
The differences between the two were also visible in statements made by senior leaders. RSS chief Bhagwat, while criticising the election rhetoric in June, had observed that a true “sevak” could not be “arrogant”. At an event in Nagpur, Bhagwat told RSS leaders and trainees about the qualities a true “sevak” must possess. He said a “sevak” must take pride in his work, but remain “unattached”, and must be “devoid of arrogance”.
Before the elections, party president Nadda had said the BJP did not need the RSS. Nadda had said: “In the beginning, we would have been less capable, smaller, and needed the RSS. Today, we have grown and we are capable. The BJP runs itself.”
An RSS functionary said the party’s actions have started to show that it is working towards better coordination with the organisation.
“The BJP has taken a few decisions in the recent past which show that it is trying to have better coordination with the RSS. For instance, it was decided to set up RSS-BJP coordination committees for the Haryana and Maharashtra assembly elections. This is significant as during the Lok Sabha elections, this coordination was missing and the BJP had a greater say in the ticket distribution,’ said an RSS functionary.
In Maharashtra, for instance, RSS joint general secretary Atul Limaye has been entrusted with the job of coordination, while in Haryana, joint general secretary Arun Kumar has been coordinating between the BJP and the RSS for election-related work.
Madhav, who is from Andhra Pradesh, was inducted into the BJP from RSS in 2014 when Modi took office for the first time.
He served as BJP national general secretary between 2014 and 2020. He was responsible for the political affairs of J&K, Assam, and other northeastern states, and is often credited with playing a crucial role in ensuring a turnaround for the party in Assam in 2016.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)