How saffron outfits work in the state
Asianage, 30 August, 2008 (via howrah.org)
The BJP was virtually a non-entity in Orissa politics till the late 80s. It grew in strength in the last one-and-a-half decade to become a coalition partner in the state government now. The party has increased its presence in the Assembly from a single seat in 1985 to 37 now.
The rise of the BJP has generated much interest among political watchers here. But what has eluded notice is the growth of organisations like the RSS and VHP, and the ever-widening influence of the Parivar. As the Parivar expands and its cadres notch up goodwill on the ground through social work, the BJP undoubtedly stands to gain.
The Parivar already has an elaborate empire in place in the state. The RSS is at the top of the pyramid with over 3,000 shakhas and a lakh swayamsevaks dedicated to the cause of "building human character". Below it are no less than 30 big and small organisations , the most noteworthy of them being the VHP, BJP, ABVP, BMS, Banabasi Kalyan Ashram, Utkal Bipanna Sahayata and the Hindu Jagaran Samukhya. Some of the bodies even have sub-organisations: the VHP itself has 30, giving it unparalleled reach. Much to the BJP’s delight, the Parivar is probably reaching out to a million people every day.
The Parivar has had most success in taking rural Orissa under its sweep. A whole range of organisations have been nurtured. Some like the Seva Dhanayantri Shasthya Pratisthan do social work by running hospitals, while others like the 1940 Satsang Kendras, where Hindu scriptures are read, seek to rekindle religious sentiments. The Sishu Mandir schools run by the Parivar fill social need and groom talent. There are nearly 250 such schools in Orissa. Last year, seven out of the top students in the state-level high school certificate examination were from these schools.
But it is not the students alone who are fairing well. The results have been startling for the Parivar too. "We have been growing at a very rapid pace over the past few years," admits a VHP functionary. In about five years, the RSS has increased its members from 70,000 to 1.5 lakh. The Bajrang Dal has extended its number of akharas from 50 to 400 while the VHP’s strength has gone up from 22,000 to one lakh.
The BJP, obviously, rode on all this goodwill to reap electoral benefits. There is a perception that sooner or later, the party will edge out its major ally in Orissa, the BJD, and take up anti-Congress space. "Several factors have worked in the Parivar’s favour in Orissa," says Mr Narendra Pradhan, a retired professor of political science. One is that Christian missionaries have been active in the state’s backyard, helping the RSS trigger a backlash among people. Also important has been the near absence of casteism that has allowed the Hindu community to be more cohesive and easier to address.
Orissa is virtually witnessing a religious battle in its tribal belt as Christian missionaries and the Sangh Parivar allegedly engaged themselves in conversions and reconversions. It all began with the arrival of Christian missionaries, backed by foreign-funded NGOs, some five decades ago, which promised to change the face of the region. Schools and hospitals came up to help the poor, but so did the churches. With Christianity spreading, the Hindu backlash has started. Hindu organisations charged the missionaries with converting the gullible dalits and tribals with allurements in Orissa’s tribal pockets. "We are trying to catch up. While they have been converting at the rate of over 5,000 a year, we are targeting to reconvert 500," says the VHP functionary. "Church building is the only industry in many parts of poverty-hit rural Orissa and the missionaries are targeting poor and illiterate people," says RSS leader S.R.Mahapatra.
AKSHAYA KUMAR SAHOO
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