RSS conclave in Nagpur from March 9 aims at closing ranks

Sources in RSS said that no major changes are expected in the organisation. Speculation was rife that Sahsarkaryawah Dattatreya Hosabale would replace incumbent Sarkaryawah Suresh alias Bhaiyyaji Joshi. At least two middle-level RSS functionaries told The Indian Express that no such move seems to be afoot. “Bhaiyyaji hasn’t given any indication that he wants to step down. So, it is unlikely that he will be replaced,” said one.

Another RSS official said, “There is no such move so far. The only rule that can force anybody’s automatic retirement from the body is the upper age limit of 75. Bhaiyyaji is well within the limit by at least five years. His health has also stabilised and he can undertake the day-to-day work of top executive. So it is unlikely that he will exit to usher in Hosabale or anyone else.”

Hosabale’s name had been making rounds since the last ABPS at Nagpur. He is said to be a favourite of the BJP, too, and personally preferred by Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. “That itself may be a deterrent for the RSS, which won’t like to give primacy to the choice of the BJP ahead of the 2019 elections. If BJP returns to power under the Modi-Shah duo next year, the RSS would prefer to have its own chosen team at the helm. Joshi may make way for his successor in the middle of his next term,” said a source.

The RSS’s stature as the BJP’s patriarch has grown by leaps and bounds due to its prime role in ensuring the party’s victory in the north-east. “This will certainly keep the RSS a notch above the individual charisma of Narendra Modi, something that can never be compromised within the organisation,” the source added.

Amit Shah’s visit to the RSS headquarters here immediately after the BJP’s north-east victory is also significant from that point of view.

Apart from having its chosen Sarkaryawah, the RSS will also try to engage its sparring constituents like the Bharatiya Majdoor Sangh (BMS) and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) to ensure complete unity ahead of the 2019 general elections. “The RSS would like to ensure that the BJP wins the election. It is extremely crucial for it in the wake of its 100th anniversary celebrations in 2025,” said an RSS functionary.