Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President JP Nadda, in an interview to The Indian Express, said that the party has now reached a position to function without the help of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). However, he refused to state explicitly whether the party needs RSS in its political activities.
Responding to a question to understand the relations between RSS and the BJP, Nadda differentiated the two saffron outfits and said that the RSS was a cultural organisation while the BJP was political. “Everyone has got their own work. In the beginning we would have been less capable, smaller and needed the RSS. Today, we have grown and we are capable. The BJP runs itself. That’s the difference,” Nadda told The Indian Express.
The BJP leader further stated that there is great respect among both organisations for each other. “Some in the media like speculating on RSS-BJP relations, they spread conspiracy theories and myths. The reality is that both have a rich history of working in tandem, guided by the spirit of nation first,” he added.
When asked about the long term goal of RSS to build temples in Mathura and Varanasi, he said that “the BJP does not have any such idea, plan, or desire.” Nadda said that the demand for the temple in Ayodhya was made in BJP’s Palampur resolution in 1989.
“Ours is a big party and leaders can talk about the issues they feel ideologically strong about [referring to statements by Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma]. There are no discussions on this. Our system works in a way in which the party’s thought process is set by the discussions in the Parliamentary board, then it goes to the national council which endorses it,” Nadda stated.
Yogi Adityanath in the Uttar Pradesh state assembly had earlier said that “they” had only demanded three sites–Ayodhya, Kashi (Varanasi) and Mathura. Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday, May 18, had promised that grand temples would be built in Varanasi and Mathura if the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by BJP gets more than 400 seats.