RSS leader Ratan Sharda believes that JP Nadda's remark that the 'BJP had now grown and become capable' should not have come during the Lok Sabha elections. He said sometimes, the RSS cadre is taken for granted. Sharda recently said that the Lok Sabha election results had come as a reality check for "overconfident" BJP workers and many of its leaders as they were happy in their "bubble" but not listening to the voices on the streets.
"What Nadda ji said was actually the kind of statement I would have made at certain times, but not during the election time. Because every organization which has been inspired by Sangh has to have its own cadre an full-timers - and that's happening. But unfortunately, sometimes RSS cader is taken for granted," Sharda said in an interview. The RSS leader was referring to Nadda's statement during an interview where the latter said that in the beginning, the BJP would have been less capable, smaller, and needed the RSS. "Today, we have grown and we are capable. The BJP runs itself)."
The RSS leader said he keeps meeting people from the organisation in different states. "One person in Madhya Pradesh said (to me)- they (BJP) don't listen. They have candidates of their own choice. I am talking about the last assembly election. He said - 'inko lagta hai ke jhak maar ke jita hi denge' (RSS will ultimately make us win). This is the attitude RSS does not like." This comment came even as the election was underway. Sharda said the RSS has been trying very hard to make people vote. "This election, Mohan Bhagwat ji said we have done our job. We have done our duty of arousing people's interest in voting and voting for the nationalist forces. Beyond that, the booth-level management has to be done by the BJP," he said.
The RSS leader also rejected the claim that the organisation did not help the BJP this time. "When people on social media say, RSS ne kaam nahi kiya. You have to invite them to work. They have their work."
He also suggested that there was a problem at the local level and the BJP leader did not respond to the concerns. "If I call a BJP leader and ask them about a local candidate, he does not respond - how should I work then? I am talking about my own experience."
Sharda said the BJP needs to recondition its workers on its ideology, the RSS ideology from where they sprung, and also on the sacrifices made by the early leaders. "Modi ji may be one of the wonderful leaders and the best possible blessing that BJP ever had but beyond that, you have to work on the road on the street."
In this election, the BJP aimed for 370-plus Lok Sabha seats but ended up with just 240. The RSS ideologue said there was a disconnect on the ground. He said so many BJP MPS lost either because they were not reachable or some defectors were given tickets despite objections from the workers.
"The MPs lost where the BJP workers said isko ticket nahi dena, you throw some defectors at their face. What does a BJP worker do? When in the constituency where people have worked hard and you put somebody who has no connect with the constituency even then they (workers) have a problem."
When asked what was the biggest mistake by the BJP in this election, Sharda pointed to 25% of tickets to defectors. "Kripa Shankar Singh (who lost election from Jaunpur), who called (26/11) RSS Ki Saajish never regretted. He was given a ticket he didn't apologise. RK Singh was the Home Secretary and he called the RSS a terrorist organization. He could have said - 'it was because I was working under the UPA. I had to follow government instructions. I don't believe it. I made a mistake. He never said it, he becomes a minister. So I am not one RSS karyakarta, you can talk to hundreds of karyakarta, and this hurt. The BJP and RSS karyakarta feel defectors are given more importance."
In an interview with The Indian Express, Nadda, while responding to a question on how the RSS presence had changed between the time of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and now, said, "Shuru mein hum aksham honge, thora kum honge, RSS ki zaroorat padti thi. Aaj hum badh gaye hain, saksham hai...toh BJP apne aap ko chalati hai (In the beginning, we would have been less capable, smaller and needed the RSS. Today, we have grown and we are capable. The BJP runs itself). That's the difference."