A Ghar Wapsi ritual in progress in KeralaThe first major jolt for Prime Minister Narendra Modi had come from the reconversion drive launched by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak affiliated institutions like Vishwa Hindu Parishad. The virus was contagious as the Ghar Wapsi (return home) campaign was launched with much fanfare in several states targetting the minorities. As the local organisers claimed that they had brought back recent converts, especially those belonging to scheduled castes and tribes, the winter session of parliament was affected.
Now damage control measures have been taken as Modi sent word to RSS chief Mohan Bhagawat that he needed complete freedom to pursue the development agenda and the proponents of Hindutva were creating an unnecessary diversion from the governmental focus. There was equal pressure on Bhagawat from the Sangh Parivar that the huge mandate for BJP and its allies was essentially a rejection of what they called the pseudo secular policies of the Congress party. The Parivar ideologues wanted assertion of the Hindutva agenda. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad had even claimed a Hindu government had come at the centre after centuries, not taking into consideration any of the prime ministers belonging to the majority community, who came to power after India achieved independence.
The government was leaden footed in the beginning of the campaign as the opposition parties insisted on a statement of the prime minister. But Modi has been reluctant to speak to parliament at every demand made by the opposition and lot of time was lost in Rajya Sabha. But soon Modi realised that it was not a reply that mattered to douse the controversy, but to ensure that the reconversion frenzy was tapered off. He asked his brains trust in the government and party to meet with RSS leaders. Surface transport and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari, who has an excellent rapport with RSS leadership in Nagpur, organised the meeting in which senior ministers, party president Amit Shah and key aides of Bhagawat took part.
The ministers asked for sufficient breathing time for the government to implement its economic and developmental initiatives in the coming two to three years. They wanted the Sangh Parivar to avoid sending wrong signals to foreign and domestic investors as India plans investments of over Rs. 50 lakh crores in different areas. Modi government was changing government policies to generate and absorb these investments which would in turn create nearly ten crore jobs. The RSS leadership agreed that the reconversion campaign needed to be toned down and send the key pracharak in Uttar Pradesh on long leave, ostensibly for medical reasons. On its turn the government has agreed to examine the RSS demand for a law banning conversions from Hinduism, even though ministers have publicly stated that it is the responsibility of state governments. In a bid to reassure the Sangh Parivar, the BJP ruled Madhya Pradesh government has initiated action some groups, which it accused of converting tribals and dalits out of Hinduism.
While Modi and Bhagawat have achieved a truce, the big question is on its durability as the aspirations within the Sangh Parivar are strong. The meeting at Gadkari's house also had discussed the idea of having a permanent mechanism for the government, the BJP and RSS to meet, but RSS leaders felt they had to be at an arm's distance from making government policies. Modi has to ensure that the Sangh Parivar does not assume a heckler's role, especially as his foreign investment policies can be seen at odds with the Swadeshi agenda of the Sangh and its trade union affiliate.
Tailpiece: Since president Barack Obama will spend more than one hour watching the Republic Day parade on January 26 in the open, the intelligence agencies are working on converting 15 square kilometre area of central Delhi into a sterile zone, drawing explosive experts and snipers from army and paramilitary forces.
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