NEW DELHI/ JAIPUR: Senior RSS functionary Indresh Kumar on Thursday said BJP got stranded at the 240-mark and failed to get a majority in the Lok Sabha because of its arrogance even as he termed the opposition “anti-Ram”.
“See ‘vidhan’ (working) of Ram rajya in democracy. The party which did bhakti (of Lord Ram) but gradually turned arrogant was stopped at 240 but emerged as the biggest party,” Kumar said.“Those who had no faith in Ram, they together were stopped at 234,”
His remarks at the ‘Ramrath Ayodhya Yatra Darshan Poojan Samaroh’ at Kanota near Jaipur fanned speculation sparked by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s comment earlier in the week about the need for public servants to shed arrogance. The Sangh leadership distanced the organisation from Kumar’s observations. They also denied Bhagwat’s advice to “sevaks” to get rid of their ego was aimed at BJP.
True devotees of Ram should be humble, while those who oppose Ram will be dealt with by the Lord himself… senior RSS functionary Indresh Kumar said. “He (Kumar) spoke in his personal capacity and his statement does not represent the organisation’s viewpoint,” a senior Sangh source told TOI. His comments have generated controversies earlier also.
The source, one of the few authorised to articulate Sangh’s viewpoints, regretted the “distorted interpretation” of Bhagwat’s remarks. “RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was addressing the Sangh at the graduation ceremony of full-time volunteers who had completed their training. It was a piece of advice to them to maintain humility while doing social service as many of them are now going to be in public life,” the source said, asserting that media reports linking the comments to BJP and govt were not fair.
The source also disputed the view that the concern expressed by Bhagwat over the continuing strife in Manipur was meant as a criticism of Centre. “There is no denying that Manipur is disturbed, and people of the country should be concerned about disturbance in any part of the country. Bhagwat was talking in context of development and he said it cannot happen without peace. He substantiated his point by citing the example of Manipur where everything has got stalled because violence erupted after a decade of peace,” the source said.
BJP refused to respond, in line with its consistent tight-lipped posture on anything remotely concerned with the Sangh. Statement of BJP chief J P Nadda purportedly saying BJP has grown into a force strong enough to do without assistance from Sangh, something which has caused heartburn in RSS circles, appears to have only turned the reticence into a “no comment” resolve.
Ram Janmabhoomi chief priest Acharya Satyendra Das countered Kumar by pointing to failure of his Muslim outreach. “Indresh Kumar worked for the unity of Hindus and Muslims so that Muslims vote for BJP. But he failed miserably and blamed BJP. There is no arrogance. RSS people like Indresh Kumar did not help the BJP campaign,” he said. Kumar is no stranger to controversies. In 2007, he was sought to be probed for alleged links to blasts in Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad and Ajmer Dargah.
“See ‘vidhan’ (working) of Ram rajya in democracy. The party which did bhakti (of Lord Ram) but gradually turned arrogant was stopped at 240 but emerged as the biggest party,” Kumar said.“Those who had no faith in Ram, they together were stopped at 234,”
His remarks at the ‘Ramrath Ayodhya Yatra Darshan Poojan Samaroh’ at Kanota near Jaipur fanned speculation sparked by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s comment earlier in the week about the need for public servants to shed arrogance. The Sangh leadership distanced the organisation from Kumar’s observations. They also denied Bhagwat’s advice to “sevaks” to get rid of their ego was aimed at BJP.
True devotees of Ram should be humble, while those who oppose Ram will be dealt with by the Lord himself… senior RSS functionary Indresh Kumar said. “He (Kumar) spoke in his personal capacity and his statement does not represent the organisation’s viewpoint,” a senior Sangh source told TOI. His comments have generated controversies earlier also.
The source, one of the few authorised to articulate Sangh’s viewpoints, regretted the “distorted interpretation” of Bhagwat’s remarks. “RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was addressing the Sangh at the graduation ceremony of full-time volunteers who had completed their training. It was a piece of advice to them to maintain humility while doing social service as many of them are now going to be in public life,” the source said, asserting that media reports linking the comments to BJP and govt were not fair.
The source also disputed the view that the concern expressed by Bhagwat over the continuing strife in Manipur was meant as a criticism of Centre. “There is no denying that Manipur is disturbed, and people of the country should be concerned about disturbance in any part of the country. Bhagwat was talking in context of development and he said it cannot happen without peace. He substantiated his point by citing the example of Manipur where everything has got stalled because violence erupted after a decade of peace,” the source said.
BJP refused to respond, in line with its consistent tight-lipped posture on anything remotely concerned with the Sangh. Statement of BJP chief J P Nadda purportedly saying BJP has grown into a force strong enough to do without assistance from Sangh, something which has caused heartburn in RSS circles, appears to have only turned the reticence into a “no comment” resolve.
Ram Janmabhoomi chief priest Acharya Satyendra Das countered Kumar by pointing to failure of his Muslim outreach. “Indresh Kumar worked for the unity of Hindus and Muslims so that Muslims vote for BJP. But he failed miserably and blamed BJP. There is no arrogance. RSS people like Indresh Kumar did not help the BJP campaign,” he said. Kumar is no stranger to controversies. In 2007, he was sought to be probed for alleged links to blasts in Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad and Ajmer Dargah.
