After a crushing defeat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the alliance between the RSS and the BJP has resumed. Both are gearing up together to win the Haryana assembly elections. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) office-bearers held a five-hour marathon meeting on Monday evening to improve mutual coordination following a strained relationship. Many issues were discussed between the two organizations. Many types of complaints were also addressed. But the most important issue in this meeting was whether to give tickets to relatives of BJP leaders or not. In fact, there are around a dozen leaders in the Haryana BJP who are seeking tickets for their relatives. And the biggest thing is that these are the people who have the ability to kill their relatives too. Secondly, if their people do not get tickets, there is a fear that these people will become neutral. However, the party’s problems are not less in Haryana. The party is not in a position to take more trouble. The problem facing the BJP is that it has come to power by making the family an issue and opposing the Chautala family and the Hooda family, now what if the party gives tickets to the relatives of BJP leaders? Able to confront family politics.
What happened in the meeting of BJP and RSS?
According to a report published in The Hindu, in this BJP-RSS liaison meeting, RSS government leader Arun Kumar, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, former Haryana Chief Minister and current Union Minister M.L. Khattar, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan (party in-charge for Haryana elections), Lok Sabha MP Biplab Deb and BJP General Secretary (Organization) B.L. Santosh attended. The meeting emphasized on how to create a better synergy between RSS and BJP. Apart from this, an attempt was made to take a clear stand on how to deal with state leaders demanding tickets for their relatives. There was also a debate on how it would be brought to the public if the party gives tickets to relatives of leaders as opposition to family politics has been BJP’s major USP.
In fact, the BJP and the RSS continued to take a strong stance against family politics. However, despite this many people were given tickets which was an exception. Every party exists only to win elections. Therefore, the ability to win becomes important. The situation is the same in Haryana. Many leaders seeking tickets for their relatives are in such strong positions in their local constituencies that ignoring them could prove costly for the party.
Who is asking for tickets for relatives in Haryana?
Among the party leaders seeking tickets for their relatives is Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh, who is seeking a ticket for his daughter Aarti Rao. Rao Inderjit had recently expressed his sadness that he has not yet been given the status of Minister of State. MP Dharamveer, who wants a ticket for his brother or son, Union Minister Krishnapal Gurjar, whose son Devendrapal Chaudhary is in the fray. Senior Haryana leader Kuldeep Bishnoi is yet to get anything, obviously if he wants to stick with the party, he too will have to give a ticket. His son also demands it. Former MP Ramesh Kaushik is seeking ticket for his brother Devendra Kaushik. Assembly Speaker Gian Chand Gupta wants to field his nephew on a BJP ticket from Panchkula. The party knows that these people are in a position to take the seat if they get the ticket.
Secondly, the competition is going to be very tough this time. BJP has already lost 5 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. So the party wants to take RSS into confidence. Because if the RSS comes together on this issue, it will help to manage the party cadre and keep morale high.
PM Modi defined family feud.
Bharatiya Janata Party has been accusing not only Congress but all regional parties of nepotism. This slogan of the party against dynastic politics was effective because in the south Congress, Samajwadi Party, RJD, INLD, PDP, National Conference, Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (Sharad Pawar) Many parties are running on the basis of family ideology. . BJP has also been accused of nepotism. There is no doubt that many relatives have got tickets in Bharatiya Janata Party too. But one is very less compared to other parties. Secondly, relatives have not been given a very important role thus Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised nepotism in his interaction with the editors of Aaj Tak during the Lok Sabha elections.
PM Modi said, ‘When I say family party, media people ask me if Rajnath Singh has a son too? Let me tell you that there is a difference between the two. When I say family party, I mean family party, by family and for family. If 10 members of a family come into public life, I don’t believe it is a bad thing. If four people go forward with great enthusiasm, I don’t think it’s bad either. But he does not run the party, the party takes decisions.
PM Modi had said similar things in the Lok Sabha in February this year. Even then PM Modi talked something like this about familism, he said what kind of familism we talk about. If more than one member of a family enters the political arena on their own with public support, we do not call it dynamism. We call nepotism which is run by a party and a family. All party decisions are taken by family members, that is nepotism. PM Modi’s words seem to indicate that the party may adopt a flexible approach in future in terms of giving tickets to relatives.
