Despite claims by the BJP that it is not under RSS tutelage, the latter had told the saffron party that it should work out a formula to bring in former expelled leader and saffron sanyasin Uma Bharti as well as sangh pracharak and former BJP general secretary, Mr Sanjay Joshi. The RSS, it was learnt, had also criticised BJP for not taking up issues like misuse of the CBI, growing threat of Naxalism and Bhopal gas tragedy issue “aggressively”.
While Ms Bharti was expelled after she publicly criticised senior BJP leader L.K. Advani, Mr Joshi had to leave the party after a controversial sex CD.
On Tuesday, a seven-hour-long meeting between top RSS functionaries and the BJP’s seniormost leadership, including party chief Nitin Gadkari, Mr Advani, Ms Sushma Swaraj, Mr M. Venkaiah Naidu and Mr Rajnath Singh, took place. The RSS was represented by Bhaiyyaji Joshi, Madandas Devi and Suresh Soni who blamed the BJP for not taking up the “nationalist” ideology effectively.
Sources said the RSS is in favour of both Ms Bharti and Mr Joshi returning to the party. But there is stiff opposition from different sections within the party for their re-induction. While the party’s Madhya Pradesh unit, including chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, is vehemently opposing Ms Bharti’s comeback, some of the senior BJP leaders, including Mr Advani, are against Mr Joshi’s return to the party, sources said.
Mr Joshi is often blamed for being instrumental in running the anti-Advani campaign after the Jinnah episode in 2005 after which Mr Advani had to relinquish his party chief’s post.
Sources said during the meeting between the RSS and the BJP, leaders also discussed issues like the caste census.
While the BJP is in favour of this demographic exercise, the RSS is opposed to it.