BJP braces for poll impact on Parliament, with tests from Opposition and RSS

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government is likely to face its first Parliament test on Monday (June 24) as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prepares itself to not just counter a buoyant Opposition but also a more demanding Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of the ruling party.

The first effects of the BJP’s underperformance in the recently held general elections are likely to be visible in the Parliament session, with the Union government likely facing questions on the allegations of paper leaks in the NEET-UG exams, cancellation of NET, and also farmers’ protests.

Pressure from RSS affiliates

It is not only the Opposition that plans to challenge the Union government on these crucial issues. Some of the RSS affiliates are also putting pressure on it to agree to their demands and make some announcements in the upcoming Budget. The recent increase in the electoral strength of the Opposition and the rise in their numbers in the Lok Sabha are likely to prove a challenge for the BJP, which did not win a majority on its own for the first time in a decade.

With the Parliament session scheduled to commence on Monday, the senior leaders of the BJP and the central government are holding consultations with the RSS affiliates to understand some of their crucial demands, especially on the issues of rural distress, the economically and socially weaker sections, and farmers’ demands.

Farmers and students

“The Union government has been holding consultations with us. The issues of farmers’ distress and their demands are important for us. We have asked the government to address the issues being raised by the farmers. The first step in this direction could be to increase the amount given to them under the Kisan Samman Nidhi. We want the government to increase the amount. It is long overdue,” Mohini Mohan Mishra, national general secretary of the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), told The Federal. The BKS is an affiliate of the RSS and works primarily with farmers and different farm unions.

It is not just the BKS that has been asserting itself in the past few days. The Union government is also facing challenges from organisations such as the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), another RSS affiliate, which has been at the forefront in demanding investigations into the recent allegations of paper leak in the NEET exams. The flip-flop by the Union government on the issue of NEET paper leak was first countered by ABVP members.

“We have our set of demands, and we will ask the Union government to consider them when our leadership meets senior Union ministers on Monday for consultation. For the past several months, the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) has been demanding permanent jobs and social security benefits for Anganwadi workers and helpers, mid-day meal cooks, and ASHA workers. The BMS also organised a nationwide protest on the issue in December last year. Our consultation process is going on over the issues that will be taken up with the government,” Virjesh Upadhyay, national general secretary of BMS, told The Federal.

Bracing for impact

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s team, too, seems to be bracing for the impact of BJP’s disappointing election performance. Soon after taking oath for the third consecutive time, PM Modi announced that the government would build 3 crore houses for the economically weaker sections, especially in rural areas, and the Union government also cleared the instalment for the PM Kisan scheme.

Senior BJP leaders believe that while the Opposition may try to corner the government on issues of rural distress and farmers, the BJP leadership is already working on a plan to counter the Opposition strategy. They also believe that the government’s decisions will help the BJP and the NDA in the upcoming Assembly elections in Haryana and Maharashtra where farmers’ demands could become a crucial election issue.

“We have been telling the Union government that until farmers make profits on their farm produce, their problems will not end. Although the government is increasing the minimum support price (MSP), it is not enough. It must also reduce the cost of production for farmers by giving them subsidies on fertilizers and seed instead of giving subsidies to companies. It will reduce the input cost because it will help increase their profits,” Mishra said.

Effect of decline

The issues of rural distress and famers’ demands played a decisive role in the national elections as the BJP could not repeat its 2019 performance in states such as Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. The impact of this decline is already showing, as RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has openly stated that there was a “lack of decorum” in the national elections and leaders who serve people “should not be arrogant”.

“The BJP and the RSS are two different organisations. Although Mohan Bhagwat’s and PM Modi’s value system is the same, it is unfair to say that the RSS gets involved in the BJP’s decision-making. The BJP leadership takes its own decisions. People make a mistake by thinking that the RSS decides for the BJP. It is not so. There is always a consultation process between the BJP leadership and the RSS affiliates,” Dilip Deodhar, Nagpur-based observer and commentator on RSS, told The Federal.