Mohan Bhagwat’s remarks on table as BJP works on rejig, review, and choosing next president

Even as the Ministers in the new NDA government took charge Tuesday, the BJP has begun to set in motion the process of re-jigging its organisation nationwide and, simultaneously, reviewing its Lok Sabha performance.

This exercise is expected to begin with a fresh membership drive and will conclude with the election of a new party president. It is still not clear if this will take place under a new working president or incumbent J P Nadda who has been inducted in the Modi government as Union Health Minister.

The party’s Parliamentary Board, its apex decision-making body, will meet soon to decide. That meeting comes in the wake of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s unusually sharp comments Monday on the bitter Lok Sabha campaign that included a cautionary note too.

“A true sevak maintains decorum while working… The one who maintains decorum does his work, but remains unattached. There is no arrogance that I did this. Only such a person has the right to be called a sevak,” Bhagwat had said.

Sources said these remarks, seen as a veiled criticism of the BJP leadership, are neither “routine nor normal.” Said a source: “This kind of public expression means there is a problem in communication between the Sangh and the party. Bhagwatji rarely criticises BJP leaders publicly.”

“The message on Manipur was clear that the Sangh is not in consonance with what is happening and how (the crisis) is being handled,” said the source. But added: “This does not mean that communication between RSS and BJP has collapsed…just that it’s not how it should be.”

Addressing RSS leaders and workers at Nagpur, Bhagwat flagged the crisis in Manipur. “Everywhere there is social disharmony. This is not good,” Bhagwat said. “For the past one year, Manipur has been