Nagpur: On Sunday, Narendra Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister in office to visit the headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Nagpur.
Is it a return to the fold?
Recently, in an interview given to American podcaster Lex Friedman, Modi had underscored the impact of the RSS and its ideology on his life and career. This was a few days after he called the organisation a ‘Vat Vriksh’ – a revered banyan tree that provides enlightenment.
But then, nearly everybody is aware of Modi’s Sanghi roots. So, why did he have to make a show of it by visiting the RSS headquarters on Hindu New Year’s day?
Some believe that it is to allay rumours of a rift between the RSS and the BJP. Others say that this is a Thanksgiving exercise for the support the party received before the Delhi Assembly elections in 2025.
The BJP’s ‘Abki Baar 400 Paar’ plan for the 2024 Parliamentary elections received a big jolt, after the party’s poor showing in Uttar Pradesh. Some believe that this happened due to the RSS’ hands-off policy, after BJP president J P Nadda’s remark.
“The BJP is big enough now and requires no hand holding by the RSS,” Nadda had said in an interview before the 2024 general elections.
Since then, the BJP has been making efforts to mend ties with the ‘Vat Vriksh’. Insiders say that the Sangh played a major role before the 2025 Delhi elections, resulting in the BJP’s victory after 27 years.
The RSS denies this vehemently though and maintains that it has nothing to do with politics.
At the moment, the BJP is preparing for elections in the states of Bihar, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. All three states are strategically important. While in Bihar and Tamil Nadu, the BJP will lend support to the AIADMK and the JD(U), the party will go it alone in West Bengal in 2026.
The BJP knows that West Bengal will be a tough but to crack unless the RSS helps in preparing a right strategy. In the past, the RSS has publicly appreciated the welfare schemes offered by the Mamata Banerjee-led government in West Bengal.
