Sangh reads signs of letdown
J.P. Yadav |
New Delhi, Sept. 13: The RSS has
alerted the BJP to credible signs of a shift in the public mood over the
performance of the government in spite of the popularity of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, sources said today. On the basis of feedback from various frontal organisations, the RSS has raised red flags on the economic slowdown, job losses and dismal job creation, the failure of demonetisation to throw up immediate results and unrest among farmers. The Sangh has told government managers that its cadres on the ground have noticed common people starting to discuss these issues and ask uncomfortable questions, the sources said.
The government has been told that although Modi
remained popular, that cannot guarantee electoral victory. "We should
remember that the BJP lost the 2004 Lok Sabha polls despite the India
Shining campaign and the personal popularity of Atal Bihari Vajpayee,"
one RSS functionary said.
The RSS leaders had recently attended a three-day coordination
meeting at Mathura, where various frontal organisations went with ground
reports. BJP president Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi
Adityanath spent a day acquainting themselves with the feedback.The sources said many frontal organisations of the RSS severely criticised the government's economic performance and said common people were turning uneasy. "The expectation among the people was that lots of black money will be unearthed because of demonetisation and they will benefit. That has not happened and so they feel cheated," one RSS leader was quoted as saying. Sensing the stirrings, the RSS has asked many of its frontal organisations not to dither on organising protests on issues related to the people even if they go against the government. Following the go-ahead from the control tower, the labour wing of the RSS, the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), has given a call for a big protest in Delhi on November 17 to press for many unfulfilled demands associated with workers' welfare. In 2015, the BMS had opted out at the last minute from a strike call given by a united front of all the central trade unions. The BMS then did not want to embarrass its "own government". Three years down the line, the BMS appears compelled to hit the streets against its own government. Many, however, see a tactical move aimed at preventing the Opposition from tapping the anti-government sentiments among the working class. |