Atri wrote:Muppalla ji,
Regarding Mullahs, I am not talking about 2014, dada.. I am talking post 2019.. It would be unwise to neglect. And there is no point in talking about LS seats. It starts with municipal elections and MLAs.. there are districts where Muslim population is hovering close to 50%. Same region which threw up abu ala maududi.. So, I will not call mullah factor as insignificant in MH..
regarding NG, Bhagwat et al, I do not know why you are turning it into caste related issue. Gopinath Munde belonged to Pramod Mahajan and hence ABV camp. He flourished (along with his business enterprise) when SS-BJP ruled state and then in center. NG was no one as compared to Munde (who was deputy CM of MH). Munde had 10 years to rise and fix the problem, at least rally the votes of OBCs and NTs before Bhagwat and Gadkari even came in radar. Munde could not do it. it is not about caste, as much as it is about coziness with C-system. The Mahajan-Munde duo had their balls firmly in the hands of C-system. Gadkari, OTOH, managed to free himself (relatively) from this ball-grasping diplomacy. Even he could not run long enough, although his business is million times more clean and legitimate than NCP-INC landlords.
Now, i do not want to feed speculators here, but there is a large section of RSS which considered Mahajan as someone who brought in immense corruption in the parivar. You may call that faction as puritanical OR whatever.
There is no brahmin lobby OR brahmin vote-bank in MH. MH-brahmin vanished from politics since 1920 (death of lokmanya tilak). Manohar Joshi and Mahajan and now Gadkari were the only figures who actually rose up temporarily but were removed promptly. So attributing the MH-BJP mishap to brahmin-non brahmin relation is misleading. Yes, top echeleons of RSS is made up of particular subcaste of brahmins, but this has been the case since inception of RSS. No one has had this problem when BJP actually rose and fell (1985-2004). this meme started becoming popular post 2008/09. Quite frankly, it is shame that MH-brahmin were thrown out of polity - They were the last sociological groups who were actually ruling almost entire India until 1818 and then in 1857. The tradition of shakti exists (at least existed until few decades ago until death of Savarkar) in this group.
Yes there is some discrepancy in mental setup of NM types and MGVaidya types.
RSS cannot be both Indic socialist and Indic capitalist (which it is being forced to be). The current schizophrenic behaviour of BJP has its roots in this unfortunate dichotomy because there is no one who can free RSS to do the job she intends to do in social sector, by handling the portfolio of ideological Indic capitalism. To use massa terms, Sangh parivar is forced to be seen as both Democrats and republicans. Core-INC (DIEnasty) and others are simply foreign interests - The remnants of Mughals and British. But average Raamukaka of India is slowly beginning to understand this but has not fully understood this. Until this reality dawns upon our Average Ramukaka, BJP will appear schizophrenic. After it dawns, if Raamukaka does not find a swadeshi "right alternative" to sangh parivar and continues seeing parivar playing dholki from both ends, he will think that sangh parivar is stupid.
Now coming back to your original point. It is not about caste. Any dyed in wool RSS man will not have caste in their mind. The problem is much deeper.
Similar problem existed between Savarkar and Hedgewar (which is the practical difference between Hindu Mahasabha and RSS).
You see, RSS and HMS (Hindu MahaSabha) had some major differences in methodology of approaching problem - Similar to INC's Garam Dal and Naram dal (only difference being, unlike INC, none of them were compromised, it was genuine disagreement). The scenario and times were such that they shared a common cadre base and most of the workable definitions. But simply check the thoughts of Savarkar (and KP Jayaswal and Sitaram Goel and Ram Swarup and Francois Gautier etc) on Hindu sociopolity with that of Golwalkar and DD Upadhyay, Tarun Vijay, Govindacharya, MG Vaidya, Dattopant Thengdi etc. You will get the difference that I am talking about in the three posts that I cited above.
NM represents the resurgent Savarkaraite meme of HMS. He may not say so explicitly, but the cadre which backs him fervently is from that stream. Savarkaraite stream is that of Shivaji which is much more threatening to C-system than RSS (which belongs vaguely to stream of Peshwas). RSS was reigned in (and was amenable to reign itself in) on three occasions (1948, 1975, 1992). HMS was exterminated in 1948. In times and places where 1947 like conditions are approaching and are present, these two sword arms of Dharmik purusha will come together. In stable times, this is not the case always. This does not mean that there is clear antagonism between two. No, things are much more complicated than this.
Why do I think NM represents resurgence of Savarkaraite model of hindutva? Firstly, he is the only national leader within parivar who pays shraddhanjali to Savarkar on his birth and death anniversary. Secondly, he does not make a big deal out of emotive issues like cow-slaughter, temples etc. Remember Savarkar's thoughts on all this and you will see the difference. His recent decision encourage to train dalit children to be priests and be performed upanayanam upon, is in line of savarkar's vision of eradicating Varna-Bheda.
Now, those belonging to RSS school (Hedgewar/Golwalkar) of Hindutva are much more traditionalists (Sanatani people). Savarkar's school tends to thrash most of the traditions (temple worship, brahmin priest, cow-reverence etc) which traditionalists are attached to. Many people sympathizing with RSS (Hedgewar himself) opposed Savarkar's definition of Hindu (one who considers india as fatherland and holyland). RSS avoids this question.
Also, Savarkaraite model of Hindutva idolizes heroes. Shivaji, Sambhaji, Savarkar, Ram and krishna (as heroes, not devatas), Ranjit Singh, LKA (for some period in late 80s and early 90s) and now NM. RSS model of Hindutva desists from idolizing individuals. It avoids scenarios where people start rallying around a hero, than a cause OR institution. Whatever problem that some sections of RSS have with NM is precisely here. According to RSS, it is unwise to let individual rise so high that his fall results in fall of entire structure. Instead of having one tall figure, lets have million midgets, all of them thinking in right directions and taking small steps in coherence.
I am not making case for OR against RSS. In course of time, it is RSS which survived and HMS which vanished. All type of dharmik individuals rallied under the saffron of RSS. As the number of such young people with hindutva mindset is growing, it is natural that a large section will gravitate towards the HMS pole. But RSS survived precisely because there were no heroes OR icons which could be brought down. RSS can own and disown anyone which is a very desirable trait to have, given the hostile environment they had to thrive in past 80 years. Savarkaraite HMS could never do that - They chose Johar and Kesariya of Rajputs over slimy cunning of Ghanimi Qavvait of Marathas.
But it must be noted that times are changing. Although we might be gradually approaching 1947 like situation, Hindus are much more prosperous, strong, rallied and focused this time. Shivaji-Savarkarite model may not fail so dramatically this time. It may go much farther this time.
Let this samudra manthana happen. Do not color it based on caste. Eventually, both models will throw up good dharmik men, and this is what Bhaarata needs.
