RSS chief (Sarsanghchalak) Mohan Bhagwat is reported to have stated that in present times, government’s change every five years. Reported as the second lead story last Tuesday (April 16) by Times of India’s Bengali paper, Ei Somoy, this statement has raised brows in political circles though it has remained confined to this newspaper.
With a dateline Delhi, Mohan Bhagwat is reported to have said, “ Pehle 30 ya 50 saal baad Sarkar ka badal hota tha. Aab toh paanch saal bad hi Sarkar badalneka samvabna hota hai.” (In early decades, governments did not change for 30 to 50 years. Now governments change every five years. Further there is an appeal to organisations engaged in social activities, “Isiliye sarkarke upar karneka koi jarurat nahin hai. Ek Sarkar jitna din chal Raha hai us se chalne dijiye. Lekin uske upor nirbharta ghataiye. Nirvarta ghateke khud hi ek sthayi (permanent) aur majboot Rasta nikaliye Jo samaj sudhar ke kaam aah sake. (That’s why don’t depend on the governments entirely. Let a government be there for as long as it will. Become strong on your own, dependant on yourself.) The implications of this statement, coming in the midst of the elections, are worthy of some speculation. Especially when read with other developments over the past week.
Here is the snapshot of the article from Ei Somoy:
Meanwhile, industrialist, Ratan Tata, made a special two hour visit to Nagpur and met met RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in Nagpur on April 17, sources said.The meeting, which RSS functionaries say was a courtesy visit, lasted two hours at the organisation’s headquarters.This was Ratan Tata’s second visit to the RSS headquarters, the first being more than two years ago- on December 28, 2016.
The industrialist arrived in Nagpur on Tuesday and left the city after meeting the RSS chief on Wednesday.Last year, in August, Ratan Tata and Bhagwat had shared the stage at a function in Mumbai to mark the birth centenary of late RSS leader Nana Palkar. Tata was the chief guest at that event.
The RSS chief then had praised the industrialist, saying, “Everyone was keen to hear Ratan Tata, but when I asked him he said he feels shy of speaking,” adding that “those who do work, they feel shy of speaking and their work always speaks for itself.” The confidential meeting came at a time when general elections are underway in India. Several business leaders have been extending support to various political parties and organisations.
Last Thursday (April 18), Congress leader Milind Deora tweeted a montage video in which Mukesh Ambani, the chairman of Reliance Industries, extended support to Deora in his fight against Shiv Sena’s Arvind Sawant for South Mumbai parliamentary constituency. “Having represented South Mumbai for 10 years, I believe, Milind has in-depth knowledge of social, economic and cultural ecosystem of the South Bombay constituency,” Mukesh Ambani is seen saying in the video clip.
All in all these three developments viewed together are raising eyebrows in political circles coming in the midst of the ongoing elections.