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Ram Mandir, Kashmir, triple talaq — on the trail of RSS’ ‘different’ campaign to bring Yogi back

RSS has always been active during elections. Difference between its campaign now and in 2012 and 2017 is more about the method of campaigning and functioning of cadres. 

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Gorakhpur/Chauri Chaura/Shivpur/Varanasi: Vinay Patil, 20, a second-year zoology student of Banaras Hindu University (BHU), is busy calling up voters from a ‘call centre’ of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ahead of the last two phases of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

He dials a voter, and says: “Pranam! Main Lok Jagran Manch se bol raha hun, 3 and 7 March ko vote dene zaroor jaiyega, chahe vote aap kisi bhi party ke taraf daale (Greetings! I am calling from the Lok Jagran Manch. Do go out and vote on 3 and 7 March, no matter which party you support).” 

However, before pressing their chosen button on EVMs, he adds, voters should think about “whose side you want to be on”. 

“Lekin, vote dene se pehle zaroor sochiyega, ki aapko Ram Mandir banane walo ke taraf rehna hai ki Ram ko iss desh se mitane ki koshish karne waalo ke taraf. Aapko, Kashmir ke tukde karne waalo ka saath dena hain, ki jodne waalo ka saath, aapko phir se Mukhtar Ansari aur uske gundey wapas lana hai pradesh me ki unko jail me rakhna hai (but, before you vote, think about whether you want to be on the side of those who are building the Ram Temple, or those who want to erase the name of Ram from this country. Whether you want to support those who are bent on breaking Kashmir, or those who want to keep it together. Do you want to bring back Mukhtar Ansari and his goons in the state, or do you want to put them in jail)? Patil says.

This is his attempt to “sensitise” and “motivate” people to vote in favour of “desh prem (patriotism)”

Students call up voters from an RSS 'call centre' set up at its central office in Varanasi | Suraj Singh Bisht | ThePrint
Students call up voters from an RSS ‘call centre’ set up at its central office in Varanasi | Suraj Singh Bisht | ThePrint

Patil makes no mention of Yogi Adityanath, or the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), but the topics he touches on are the same ones that the UP chief minister and his party have raised while campaigning in the heartland.

The Lok Jagran Manch, an RSS affiliate that was formed to “sensitise” voters, has been active from the start of this election. The RSS call centre functioning under the manch has more than two dozen students from BHU, Allahabad University and other institutions.

With access to the telephone directories of different government departments and institutions, they have been calling voters to “remind” them about their “duties as Indians”. 

The call centre, visited by ThePrint Friday evening, is situated at the RSS’ central office in Varanasi. There are more such centres in different parts of the state, and other similar organisations like the Jagruk Matdata Manch, which do the same work, said Krishna Chandra, RSS’ vibhag pracharak (department in-charge) for Varanasi. Chandra heads the call centre programmes in the Varanasi-Kashi zone. 

Around 218 km away, in Gorakhpur Urban constituency — from where Adityanath is contesting this election — 70-year-old RSS office-bearer Bhimraj Bharati commands a shakha (where cadres are trained) at a school in Moharipur village, in the early hours of Saturday.

RSS members attend an early morning session at a shakha in Moharipur | Suraj Singh Bisht | ThePrint
RSS members attend an early morning shakha in Moharipur | Suraj Singh Bisht | ThePrint

After that, he spends his time campaigning in the area with a group of 15 to 20 young men.

RSS workers set out to 'sensitise' voters in Moharipur, a village in UP's Gorakhpur district | Suraj Singh Bisht | ThePrint
Bhimraj Bharati sets out with RSS workers to ‘sensitise’ voters in Moharipur, a village in UP’s Gorakhpur district | Suraj Singh Bisht | ThePrint

“We do not tell them who to vote for. But we remind them about the country’s interests, so that they can choose accordingly. Our leaflets and our slogans never mention the BJP anywhere, but only speak of desh and desh prem,” he tells ThePrint, as his team walks through lanes and bylanes, shouting slogans like ‘Bharat mata ki jai’, ‘Ganga mata ki jai’, Gau mata ki jai’, ‘Annadata ki jai’, and finally, ‘Jai Shri Ram’. 

The Sangh Parivar which includes dozens of affiliates, associates and aligned forces has always chosen to remain discreet about its organisational programmes. But the 2022 assembly elections in UP are “different” for the Sangh as all its members, known as  swayamsevaks starting from the kshetra and prant pracharaks (zone in-charges) to the ground-level vistaraks (cadres) have been instructed to remain “fully available, functional and active” on the ground. 

And as the organisation’s regimentation and chain of command go, the swayamsevaks are pulling out all the stops to ensure Yogi Adityanath gets a second term in Uttar Pradesh to “fulfil the Sangh’s dreams”, according to RSS functionaries.

“The Sangh’s battle is not to make the BJP win, but to get Yogi back in power. For this task, professors, teachers, engineers, advocates and students all are working overtime for their ‘Maharaj ji‘,” a senior RSS functionary said. 

This election is different from those of 2012 and 2017 in terms of the RSS’ functioning. “The Sangh has finally started realising its dreams through the foundation stone laying for Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir, banning of triple talaq, and finally inching towards the Uniform Civil Code (UCC),” added another senior RSS office-bearer. 

Graphic: ThePrint Team
Graphic: ThePrint Team

From booth management, guarding polling stations, motivating voters, campaigning to stir up “nationalist ideas” among the electorate, addressing and managing “Brahmin resentment” in Purvanchal, and operating call centres to sensitise voters about the “ill activities of foreign-funded Opposition” the Sangh Parivar is doing it all. 

While Gorakhpur will vote on 3 March, Varanasi will vote on 7 March. The BJP had won eight out of nine seats in Gorakhpur district in the 2017 assembly polls, when it came to power in the state with a tally of 312 seats — out of UP’s total 403. Its allies won 13 seats. The party won six out of eight seats in Varanasi in 2017, while its allies won the remaining two.

ThePrint travelled through Gorakhpur Mahanagar (Urban), Gorakhpur Gramin (Rural), Chauri Chaura, Varanasi, Jaunpur and Shivpur constituencies, trailing the RSS’ ground campaign to get a hold on its nitty gritty.


Also Read: BJP, SP lead Rs 100 crore club this UP election, ex-journalist, ‘nawab’ among richest candidates


Why are 2022 polls ‘different’ for RSS

The RSS has always been active during elections. But the difference between its campaign now and during earlier assembly elections, including 2012 and 2017, is more about the method of campaigning and functioning of the cadres. 

According to senior RSS functionaries, the organisation has always worked towards “bringing social change in favour of nationalism”, but this time, they have modified their campaign process and made some additions like running call centres, and involving intellectuals, primarily teachers and professors, as they can “influence young minds, especially students”. 

Said Subhas ji, prant pracharak (zone head) of Goraksh (Gorakhpur zone), as he spoke of Adityanath: “He is not Sharma, or Maurya, or Yadav. He is Yogi. A king should be a saint, not a pleasure-seeker.” 

Subhas is the RSS’ key person in the region, and has 62 assembly constituencies under him. Sitting at Madhabdham, the Sangh’s office in Gorakhpur, he is holding meetings with all the in-charges of constituencies, phase by phase. Each meeting is attended by nine constituency heads of the RSS. 

He instructs the cadres about ways to operate the booths, increase voting percentage, motivate families to cast their votes, and, in favour of ‘desh prem’, hold bike rallies and conduct “nationalist campaigns” — but everything without carrying the BJP’s flag. 

“Sangh does not work for a political party, Sangh works for Bharat. Anyone who speaks about desh, people call him Sanghi, which means people, including the haters and the critics, believe that Sangh works for national interest,” he said.

Meanwhile, seated at the Sangh’s office in Kashi, Anil ji, kshetra pracharak (zonal head) of Kashi, said the country “needs patriots”. 

The country needs patriots. Sarsanghachalak (RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat) says we got freedom earlier, and will now get independence. Yogi ji is important for us and for our country. Our country is going to be the best in the world. In this, UP is the most important for us,” he adds.  

Goraksh and Kashi 

Goraksh (Gorakhpur) and Kashi (Varanasi) are the two most crucial zones in UP for the Sangh. There are 47 affiliated and allied organisations working in the Gorakhpur zone, which has 62 assembly constituencies under its command. The Kashi zone has 49 assembly constituencies, and 51 affiliates and allies of the Sangh Parivar are working on the ground round the clock. 

The Sangh karyalaya (offices) in Gorakhpur and Varanasi are teeming with cadres, office-bearers and veteran functionaries. The prant and kshetra pracharaks (zone and district in-charges) are holding meetings with the functionaries in charge of 8-9 constituencies at a time.

This election is a battle for the Sangh to re-establish Yogi as chief minister in the state, to realise their “dreams” smoothly, said a senior Sangh pracharak

There are around 111 seats in Goraksh and Kashi zones, of which the BJP had won around 95 in 2017. The RSS is now looking to go over 100 seats in the region, which is a major part of Purvanchal (eastern UP), a functionary said. 


Also Read: Allahabad to BHU, UP universities gave India fire-brand politicians. The nursery is drying now


Booth management, cadre mobilisation

If there is anything that is almost impossible to track during an election process, it is the RSS’ involvement.

The functioning of the RSS, which says it never hankers after publicity, is an indicator of how Hindutva-based organisations can mobilise like-minded forces to capture ground in the region, but in a discreet manner, away from the limelight. 

After holding morning shakhas in Gorakhpur, senior office-bearers lead groups of young students and professionals to ‘sampark’ (connect) programmes in localities. The groups talk to voters, distribute leaflets that highlight Ram Mandir, abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir, UP’s anti-conversion law, and “goonda raj under Opposition parties”

The leaflet does not have a BJP symbol, but it is attributed to different organisations, like the Lok Jagran Manch, Dharam Jagran Manch, Swadeshi Jagran Manch or Matdata Jagran Manch, all RSS fronts created for the ground campaign in the region. 

In Gorakhpur Gramin constituency, a team of teachers, professors and government employees campaigns in the interiors. ThePrint trailed an RSS team during its campaign in village Bhauwapar. Moving around the village, the team explained to the voters why they “should vote in favour of Ram”. 

“If not for anything, you, as a practising Hindu, should always think about the Ram Temple, that took decades and generations to have its new ground in Ayodhya. Ram ji ke liye, Kashi Vishwanath ke liye soch ke vote daliyega (think about Ram ji and Kashi Vishwanath and then vote),” is the message the team takes to the villagers. 

“BJP is a political party, it has certain limitations. BJP members are not always from the Sangh and not disciplined like swayamsevaks. So, at times, we do need to clear a certain mess that they create,” said Arjun Pandey of the Dharam Jagran Manch at the village.

“While campaigning, people tell us how some of the local MLAs remain inaccessible to them, how some BJP leaders did not work as expected. But we know how corruption-free and clean the image of our Maharaj ji (Yogi) is. People believe in him. This election is being fought on his name.”

Subhas, prant pracharak of the Goraksh zone, said their primary work is to “manage and man booths”. 

“We have to motivate people to vote and increase the voting percentage. There is not a single booth in the zone that is not manned by swayamsevaks. There are at least 20 cadres at every booth, and at least four to motivate 10 families to vote. Polling day is most important,” he added. 

At Shivpur constituency near Varanasi, Lok Jagran Manch teams tried to convince people to come out on polling day. “You have to ensure that you vote and convince your friends and relatives to vote too,” Hari Shankar Singh, an RSS member and retired railways employee, told voters.

Vinod Sharma, another office-bearer of the Lok Jagran Manch, visited schools and held meetings with teachers, requesting them to convince their acquaintances. 

“We cannot afford to leave out any organisation or institution. We have to reach the last person in society,” said Ravi Shankar Singh, a physics professor in Gorakhpur University and senior RSS functionary. 

Nationalist campaign, Brahmin-Thakur conflict

In Chauri Chaura, the RSS is highlighting the historical incident that changed the course of the Indian Independence movement, as well as Mahatma Gandhi’s teachings of non-violence.

“We are highlighting the Chauri Chaura incident to stir nationalist ideas. Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (a government initiative to celebrate 75 years of Independence) is seen as a cultural event, but it has some political connotations too,” said Sailesh Kumar, a professor of law in Gorakhpur University who heads the RSS’ publicity wing in the area.

“People should know how the Gorakhpur Math supported the nationalist movement in Chauri Chaura,” he added. 

As ThePrint trailed the campaigners, at Brahmapur village, the RSS also held a meeting with the ‘prabudh varg’ (upper caste, primarily Brahmins). 

RSS holds a meeting with upper caste members at Chauri Chaura’s Brahmapur village | Suraj Singh Bisht | ThePrint
RSS holds a meeting with upper caste members at Chauri Chaura’s Brahmapur village | Suraj Singh Bisht | ThePrint

Bhagwat Shukla and Pradeep Pandey, veteran office-bearers of the RSS and the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), had organised a meeting with the Brahmins to pacify and convince them. 

“There is an unnecessary, albeit temporary, conflict going on between the Brahmins and Thakurs (Rajputs). It is mostly about ticket distribution. We cannot afford to have divisions among Hindus based on caste now, and there is no end to this,” Pandey said.

“We are holding meetings with Brahmins and Thakurs separately in all sensitive seats to convince them why we need to consolidate now keeping our internal differences aside.” 

In Gorakhpur, senior Sangh functionaries said, Brahmins got at least 27 tickets, while Thakurs only got around 7-8. 

“But still they have problems. They have to understand that ticket distribution needs to be inclusive, it can’t be about one particular caste. But we know that Brahmins cannot vote for others. There are social and economic reasons behind that too,” said Prithviraj Singh, a 70-year-old Sangh veteran and office-bearer in the area. 

Back at the RSS call centre in Varanasi, set up in a hall of its central office, the students are still on their cell phones, calling voters. 

“Most of us are from Vidya Bharti schools. We have been swayamsevaks since we were teenagers. We understand why we are doing it. Our country needs strong leaders like Modi ji and Yogi ji,” said Sunny Singh, who is doing his doctoral research in botany from Allahabad University. 

Prince Tiwari, 20, a final-year student of BHU from Rajasthan, said the students “come here every evening after our classes end”. “It is our responsibility to convince people to vote for nationalist forces and help save our culture and Ram,” he added.

(Edited by Gitanjali Das)


Also Read: Yogi with a gun, Kashi, infrastructure: BJP’s latest song in UP a mix of Hindutva & development


 

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