This Article is From Sep 14, 2013

Behind Narendra Modi's elevation, months of perseverance by RSS

Behind Narendra Modi's elevation, months of perseverance by RSS

Narendra Modi said he will leave no stone unturned to ensure BJP victory in 2014

New Delhi: The Narendra Modi moment on Friday was aggressively scripted by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or the RSS. With precision.

It included an elaborate exercise by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to build consensus around Mr Modi within the party's top leadership and, when that failed, ride roughshod over the opposition.

For LK Advani, the Bharatiya Janata Party's senior most leader, that meant extreme ignominy twice over this year.

In June, when Mr Advani opposed Mr Modi's elevation as the BJP's election campaign chief, the RSS told the BJP it had to be done "with or without Advani". Mr Advani skipped a party conclave in Goa and Mr Modi became the campaign chief.

A stung Mr Advani resigned; Mr Bhagwat intervened to get the veteran to rescind his resignation letters. He was also handed a stern reminder that there must be no more dissonance over Mr Modi.

The RSS brass met Mr Advani repeatedly to try and chip away at his resistance. But they did not accept his demand that the party must look beyond Mr Modi. 

In contrast, when Mr Modi raised concerns over the BJP's decision to induct RSS' Sanjay Joshi into the party fold last year, he was taken seriously and the latter was forced to resign.

Earlier this year, when Nitin Gadkari's chance of getting an unprecedented second term as BJP president was thwarted, the RSS ensured that another Sangh man was chosen to head the party - Rajnath Singh. On Friday, he played a crucial role in ensuring that Mr Modi was named as the PM candidate of the BJP.

Immediately afterwards, the RSS outlined a coordinated plan to promote its Hindutva agenda, with the demand for a Ram temple in Ayodhya at its core. The Sangh was laying the foundation of a Hindutva-based campaign to run parallel to Mr Modi's good governance plank for 2014.

But a section of the RSS was upset with Mr Modi who they felt had distanced himself from the Sangh.

In July, however, Mr Modi reiterated in an interview that he was a Hindu nationalist. The message reached where it was intended to go. The 'Hindutva poster boy' the RSS wanted was back.
 
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