Is the gap widening or RSS losing its grip on BJP in Assam?

When 'lotus bloomed' in Assam in 2016, it was to a large extent the hard work put together by thousands of Sangh sevaks, who had been working in the remotest part of the state for years to make the change happen, writes Nayanjyoti Bhuyan Chief of Bureau Guwahati, ETV Bharat, Assam.

Guwahati:The influence of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on the BJP is known to all. Founded about a century ago, RSS has substantially influenced Indian society and politics. There is no denying the fact that RSS had played a major role in the success of BJP, which came into much prominence in India's parliamentary democracy in the last three decades.

When 'lotus bloomed' in Assam in 2016, it was to a large extent the hard work put together by thousands of Sangh sevaks, who had been working in the remotest part of the state for years to make the change happen.

However, things seemed to have changed in the past few years when the saffron party was in power. The RSS has become silent spectators of the recent political developments in the state. The Sangh which was known for its role in shaping the policies of the party is seemingly pushed to the corner in Assam when the political activities have gained momentum.

The recent seat-sharing agreement between the BJP and its partner Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the pattern on which saffron tickets are distributed in Assam clearly indicates that the gap between the RSS and BJP had been increasing in Assam. It is also interesting to note that the RSS had also not been taking any part in the poll campaigns of the BJP across the state in Assam.

The increasing gap between the BJP and RSS is seen prominently if one looks at the list of 40 candidates for the first phase of Assam polls, which was declared by the saffron party in New Delhi recently. None of the candidates backed by RSS could make it to the list for the first phase.

Political observers feel that it was clearly a strategy made by the RSS which took advantage of the internal clash of the then ruling Congress in 2016 and made the ground for lotus bloom. The Sangh had also played the role of catalyst in bringing the then powerful Congress leader and Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to the saffron fold before the 2016 polls.

However, the candidates backed by the Sangh for the 2021 polls failed to make it to the list this time. Some of the sitting MLAs who had the support of Sangh were also kept off the list this time. While sitting MLA from Nalbari constituency Ashok Sarma failed to get the saffron ticket this time, Prasanta Saikia, who is the vice president of Sports Bharati (A sister organization of RSS) also failed to get the ticket for Digboi constituency. While there was no controversy against Ashok Sarma in the last five years, the candidature of Prasanta Saikia was not even discussed on the floor of the party.

Although Simanta Das sought the saffron ticket to contest the polls from the Boko constituency, his candidature was also not considered. Das was the former general secretary of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). Das was a prominent leader during his tenure in the ABVP, an organization backed by the RSS.

Similarly, Jagdish Gupta had also failed to make it to the list for 2021 polls. Gupta who had been working as Sangh Pracharak for several years in a remote part of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, wanted a ticket from the Naoboicha constituency this time. The saffron party had instead vacated the constituency to its alliance partner AGP.

The saffron list also did not mention Sjhantanu Pujari, brother to dedicated Sangh Pracharak Soumitra Pujari and Ranjit Mazumdar, who is brother to Sangha Pracharak Hemanta Dhing Mazumdar. Oldtimer of Sangh and former Lok Sabha MP, Ramen Deka's name was also ignored this time. Deka, who was denied a ticket for Lok Sabha in 2019, wanted to contest the assembly polls this time. Deka was a member of erstwhile Jan Sangh.