New Delhi: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) will have a major say in the BJP’s government formation next month if the saffron party gets more than 200 seat in the 16th Lok Sabha as predicted by the opinion polls.
This will be the first government to be controlled by the RSS directly. The RSS could not influence the Atal Behari Vajpayee government during 1998 to 2004 because of its over dependence on allies and supporting parties. Besides, Mr Vajpayee too was seen as a “liberal” leader who has been more comfortable with the non-BJP leaders and had created his own political constituency outside the Sangh Parivar.
But Narendra Modi has been known as an “hardliner”. This suits the RSS in implementing its agenda. The current allies of the BJP — Shiromani Akali Dal, Shiv Sena, LJP and even the TD — will have no problem in toeing his line.
The RSS will be keen to have home, defence, finance, HRD and information broadcasting portfolios with its “swayamsevaks”.
In fact, it had favoured Yashwant Sinha to be the finance minister in the NDA. Mr Vajpayee had wanted Jaswant Singh to be given this ministry but made him the external affairs minister.
In the NDA, Mr George Fernandes was the only ally leader who got the defence portfolio.
This time, the RSS will press for Mr Nitin Gadkari to get a key ministry while the corporate houses will prefer their own “person” to get finance, petroleum, commerce, power and coal ministries.
During the NDA government, the post of the Lok Sabha Speaker was “offered” to the allies the TD (GMC Balayogi)and the Shiv Sena (Manohar Joshi) but this time the RSS may press to have its own “preson” to occupy the post.
