Nagpur/Ghaziabad, June 14
Reeling under factional feud following Lok Sabha poll debacle, the BJP today came under attack from its spiritual mentor RSS which accused it of being "inconsistent" on Hindutva even as party chief Rajnath Singh said he was wedded to the core ideology.
Senior RSS ideologue M G Vaidya said "the BJP has failed to convey the real meaning of 'Hindutva' to the people (in the recent elections). Probably, they thought they were not deemed to climb the pedestal of power with 'Hindutva' line. Hence, BJP should now disassociate itself with 'Hindutva'."
But "if the BJP gives up 'Hindutva', it will automatically snap its umbilical cord with the Sangh," Vaidya wrote in his weekly column in local Marathi daily 'Tarun Bharat'.
Vaidya said BJP leaders had no patience and almost forgot 'Hindutva' and its basic principles.
Vaidya's remarks assume significance in the backdrop of senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh's recent remarks to TV channels that the party lacked clarity on Hindutva and the BJP has to be a current party and not a party of yesterday.
Narrating the history of the Jana Sangh which later became BJP, Vaidya, said the BJP had adopted Gandhian socialism, but could not stop itself from being labelled as a communal party. After 1984 general elections drubbing, BJP again started chanting 'Hindutva'. BJP came close to power, but could not sustain its strength.
The party came to power again (in 1999), but after losing in 2004, it again turned towards 'Hindutva', Vaidya pointed out. He said BJP mentioned 'Hindutva' in its election manifesto in recent Lok Sabha elections but it "miserably failed to attract" the common voters and citizens in the country".
Responding to RSS' attack, Rajnath Singh said he will remain wedded to the core ideology for all times to come.
— PTI
