Modi govt-RSS equation set to change with key appointment

Krishna Gopal to replace Suresh Soni as Sangh pointsman to BJP

A key change is in the offing in the day-to-day relationship of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). RSS sah sarkaryavah (joint general secretary) Krishna Gopal is set to replace Suresh Soni, also a joint general secretary, as the Sangh's pointsman to deal with the BJP and the Narendra Modi-led government on a daily basis.

The change isn't merely a switch in personnel dictated by RSS chief Mohanrao Bhagwat, but could potentially affect current power equations within both organisations. It might also lead to a marked shift from the existing quality of their mutual rapport. Soni's exit is a message from the Sangh to its pracharaks and BJP workers that RSS values moral integrity uppermost.

Unfortunately, Soni, after his name figured in the Madhya Pradesh teacher training scam in June, has come to represent erosion in moral values. It is something that RSS wants to restore by appointing Gopal to the key post.

Soni's proximity to a particular lobby group in the BJP -- that a powerful minister in the Modi government leads -- has contributed to the discontent against him within the RSS. The minister with his cordial ties with corporate groups and liberal image is anathema to the Sangh.

Although Soni's ill-health will be officially cited as the reason for his gradual exit, the recent allegations of his involvement in teachers' recruitment scam in Madhya Pradesh has only helped hasten the Sangh decision. But the RSS has given a long rope to Soni and the luxury of a "ceremonial exit", given his seniority and contribution to the organisation.

Soni, who hails from Madhya Pradesh, was once a powerful enough presence to rival even the influence of Bhagwat within the Sangh Parivar, but now finds himself increasingly weakened. For sometime now, Soni has not been part of the Sangh's key decision-making group. But, he is being kept in the loop on all key decisions, said a source.

The choice of Gopal as Soni's replacement has an underlying "back to the basics" message. Gopal, a Brahmin from Mathura, is somebody perceived to represent classical puritanical ethics and morals. He has worked extensively on issues of cultural nationalism, like religious conversion, in the northeastern states.

Gopal, 63, spent seven years as RSS kshetra pracharak for the northeastern states based out of Guwahati, and has deep knowledge of the region's tribal communities, ethnicity issues and underground movements. His expertise of the Northeast could be of assistance to a BJP trying to widen its appeal in that region.

Gopal, however, has spent little time in south of the Vindhyas, particularly states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala where again BJP has attempted a determined push to carve political space for itself. But he is rated as a quick learner, and unlike Soni, is expected to work more independent of the dominant lobby group within BJP.

In recent years, Gopal looked after RSS's work in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. He did his masters from Agra University, and has a doctorate in environmental sciences. There is also expectation from Gopal that he wouldn't repeat some of the mistakes Soni made, like promoting his men like Prabhat Jha, a maithil Brahmin, as the head of BJP's Madhya Pradesh unit, and later helping Jha get Rajya Sabha membership. These were decisions that many in BJP state unit, including Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, resented.

Gopal's tenure as organising secretary would be interesting in the context of RSS-BJP relations when the party is in power. Atal Bihari Vajpayee used to give RSS little elbow room in government decision making during the tenure of the National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre from 1998-2004. His seniority over the then RSS Sarsanghchalak K S Sudarshan helped.

But Modi suffers from inadequacy of seniority in relation to RSS chief Bhagwat, and would have to listen to the Sangh, particularly as it contributed to the BJP getting full majority. The role of Gopal as the pointsman, therefore, would be much more significant and powerful. In the immediate future, this change is likely to impact the entente within the BJP of top key party functionaries and an influential minister.