RSS bid to pacify BJP's angry UP cadre
Sources said Mr Shivprakash held a series of meetings with cadres and party rebels to pacify them as well as to boost their morale.
New Delhi: RSS leaders have been camping in Uttar Pradesh to pacify the BJP cadre and rebels who have been left fuming over ticket distribution. After “ignoring” most of the candidates suggested by its ideological mentor in this politically crucial state, the BJP had to finally turn to the RSS to pacify its cadre, who were miffed that the party’s state leadership, including state unit chief Keshav Prasad Maurya, organisational secretary Sunil Bansal and state in-charge Om Mathur, were “reluctant” to listen to their grievances. In some areas like Agra, Meerut and Allahabad, among others, the BJP cadre has refused to mobilise support for the party’s candidate, who is either an “outsider” (joined BJP from another party) or not the cadre’s choice.
RSS man and BJP joint general secretary Shivprakash, along with general secretary (organisation) Ramlal, also an RSS man, are part of the team that has been meeting the cadre, workers and rebels in the state, where the first phase of the seven-phase Assembly polls took place on Saturday. They are also assuaging the party’s rebels, who are either contetsting as Independents or giving support to other candidates.
Sources said Mr Shivprakash held a series of meetings with cadres and party rebels to pacify them as well as to boost their morale. The BJP has been out of power in this crucial state for 15 years, and the entire Sangh Parivar, including the BJP, has been working strategically for the past couple of years for these elections.
The RSS’ feedback has suggested that it is not just the regional heavyweights — SP and BSP — that the BJP is competing against in the most number of seats, even the Congress cadre is charged up after the SP-Congress alliance, which is gaining ground. In such a scenario, an annoyed BJP cadre can only dent its own prospects. Sources said even the RSS is dissatisfied with the BJP’s ticket distribution and had stopped consulting after the first list was declared. But the BJP had to finally fall back on its ideological mentor to pacify its cadre, which refused to cooperate in most regions and declined to heed the party leadership’s requests.