Kurukshetra/Gurugram: “The socially aware understand that caste politics breaks society. It is the duty of responsible people to maintain unity and brotherhood,” a pamphlet being distributed by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) karyakartas in every household in Kurukshetra district of Haryana reads. “One has been speaking, complaining, questioning for 4 years, 11 months and 364 days. If one does not go to vote the one remaining day, they have no right to speak, complain or question.”
On the face of it, the pamphlet is politically neutral. It does not ask the voter to cast their vote in favour of any one political party. Titled Matdata Jagrukta Abhiyan: 100% matdan (voter awareness programme—100 percent voting), its appeal is seemingly straightforward—it is the duty of every voter to cast their vote.
But in addition, the pamphlet asks the voters a few questions. “Am I voting on the basis of caste?”, “Am I considering national and state and public interest while I am casting my vote?”, “Is my vote going for (parties) spreading anarchy and creating divisions in society?”
As a BJP leader in the state said on condition of anonymity, “Agar koi bhi 2+2 karega, toh inn sawalon ka uttar BJP hi aayega (it is obvious that the answer to all these questions is BJP).
“Some parties always do the politics of appeasement, pseudo-secularism, anti-religion, anti-nationalism and opportunism,” the pamphlet adds. “The people of the country and the state have to pay the brunt of it.”
During most elections, this would be part of the routine campaigning done by RSS volunteers for BJP on the ground. But the campaigning in Haryana assumes significance as it comes after months of speculation of frosty relations and exchange of cryptic barbs between the BJP and its ideological mentor.
With the BJP government’s diminished majority in the Centre and the party reportedly being on a sticky wicket in Haryana, the two seem to have buried the hatchet, at least on the ground.
In stark contrast to the Lok Sabha elections held earlier this year, the RSS is leaving no stone unturned to campaign for the BJP in Haryana. As stated by a senior RSS leader in the state, “The entire machinery of RSS karyakartas (volunteers) from top to bottom is working tirelessly for the elections.”
Regular samiksha baithaks (meetings between members of the two organisations), door-to-door campaigning by RSS volunteers, efficient distribution of voter slips in every household, regular communication of feedback from the ground by karyakartas to the BJP, and even giving greater inputs on which national leader should campaign in which constituency—the RSS has had a significant say in the BJP campaign in Haryana.
“There are thousands of RSS tolis (groups of volunteers) across the over 6,000 villages in Haryana who are going door-to-door canvassing right now,” the RSS leader quoted above said. “I think we must have visited each household at least twice by now.”
The last time around, a lot of volunteers felt that their own personal work had not been done despite “our own” being in power, the leader said. Before this election, the senior leadership of the Sangh held discussions with the volunteers across the board, and explained to them “yeh samay narazgi prakat karne ka nahi hai (now is not the time to express one’s anger)”.
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RSS say in ticket selection
But more importantly, there has been a significant shift in the BJP’s attitude post the Lok Sabha election results, the leader added. “Last time, they did not take feedback over candidates,” he said. “This time, candidates have been changed in several constituencies on the basis of our feedback…We have not cut anyone’s tickets in most places, but just swapped their constituencies, and the BJP agreed in 80 percent of the cases.”
In Kurukshetra, for instance, RSS leaders claimed that candidates for six of the nine assembly constituencies were swapped on the basis of RSS feedback. These included the candidature for Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini from Ladwa, leaders said.
“An important feedback we got from the ground was that the anti-incumbency was not so much against the BJP as certain individuals,” a second leader said. “Unlike in the Lok Sabha elections, they heard us this time, and changed candidates on the basis of this feedback.”
“We were getting feedback on which national leader has demand in which constituency…So we were actively communicating that to them,” the leader added. “In most cases, they planned the campaigning of leaders like the PM, Rajnath Singh, Yogi Adityanath, Nitin Gadkari, in accordance with our feedback.”
According to the leader, there have been at least four to five samiksha baithaks at the level of Lok Sabha constituencies, about six to seven meetings at the district level, in addition to a meeting “every second day” at the level of the Vidhan Sabha constituencies.
The BJP’s campaign has got some credibility because of the active campaigning of RSS volunteers, the leader said. “As a social organisation, people listen more to us than to a political party, so they have more trust and acceptance…That has surely made a difference on the ground.”
According to the two senior leaders, the RSS has created five aayams, or categories, on which to focus—women, Scheduled Castes, Sikhs, youth and social media outreach.
“For instance, we are actively trying to dispel the misinformation spread among the Sikh samaj, and are trying to send out a message of brotherhood through targeting campaigning,” the first leader said. “This also includes dispelling misinformation about the so-called farmers’ agitation.”
“We are also reminding people of 1984,” he added, referring to the anti-Sikh riots.
A major reason why the BJP did not fare as well in the last election was that the delivery of voter slips was not done properly,” the second leader said. “We have laid tremendous emphasis on that because that way you can ensure more and more people come out on the day of the polling,” he said.
Every voter slip is attached with a small BJP pamphlet delineating the achievements of the BJP governments.
“Our volunteers have given voting slips across the villages this time,” he said. “Picchli baar karyakarta ka dil udas tha, iss baar woh zameen-asman ek kar ke kaam kar raha hai.” (Last time, the volunteers were demoralised. This time, they are working day and night)
‘Need a nationalist govt in Haryana’
A key point that the RSS is laying emphasis on is national security.
“RSS volunteers are telling people that a Mohammad will become CM in Kashmir, Punjab and Delhi are ruled by topi-wallahs already…So, for the sake of national security, Haryana should pick a nationalist government,” a third leader said.
“The RSS never tells people who to vote for. But it just creates awareness about the duty to cast one’s vote, and underscores the broad themes on the basis of which people should make their choice,” the leader said.
The second RSS leader quoted earlier corroborated the nationalist pitch that RSS is making. “We are telling people that the reason Haryana has been secure is because of this government. The first thing they (non-BJP government) will do if they come to power is open up the Singhu border,” he said.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
