Amid signs that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would pick Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as its Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha election sooner or later, the top brass of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) began a marathon two-day session here with leaders of 13 of its frontal organisations, to deliberate on election issues.
Unlike in previous elections, the RSS, which is forcefully backing Mr. Modi as the BJP’s Prime Ministerial nominee, is in the forefront of mobilising support from all its wings to ensure better coordination with the BJP as it gears up for the battle.
The Sangh Parivar played a proactive role recently to persuade senior BJP leaders, including party patriarch L.K. Advani and Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj who want the party’s Prime Minister choice to be deferred till the conclusion of election to the five State assemblies in November, to reconcile to an immediate announcement on Mr. Modi.
Last week, in a rare initiative, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat met the sulking senior BJP leaders as part of the consensus building exercise on the name of Mr. Modi. It’s any one’s guess how these leaders would respond as and when the BJP chooses to make the announcement on Mr. Modi as its face for the Lok Sabha election.
Interestingly, Mr. Advani could not make it for the first half of the RSS conclave as he was at a book release function. Mr. Modi, who is the cynosure of all eyes, left for Ahmedabad in the evening and did not participate in Monday’s deliberations.
On Saturday, Mr. Modi and BJP president Rajnath Singh met top leaders of its ideological mentor — the RSS — to discuss the agenda for the conclave.
