RSS put its full might behind the BJP in elections only twice in history

New Delhi, July 31: In its 93 year history, the RSS put its full weight behind the BJP during an election only twice-1977 and 2014. This claim was made in a book called, RSS: A view to the inside, published by Penguin.

In 1977, the RSS felt that Indira Gandhi would never let the organisation to officially reform. In 2014, the RSS backed the BJP as it was alarmed by the prospect of the Congress government imposing restrictions on its activities due to charges of Hindu terrorism.

Authors Walter K Anderson and Shridhar Damle write, "A senior BJP figure told us that on only two occasions has the RSS fully engaged in parliamentary elections: once in 1977 for the Janata Party and then again in 2014 for the BJP. This does not mean that the RSS has not been involved in other elections, but those two elections were the only ones in which it permitted its pracharaks and other high-level officials to take part in the campaigns."

"In both instances, there was a fear that the RSS's programme of Hindu unity could suffer a severe setback if the Congress retained power... We were informed that the RSS does not anticipate repeating this level of support for the BJP in the years to come; the RSS expects its affiliates, including the BJP, to train its own workers, and the BJP has already begun training booth-level workers," the book further states.

The book also quotes Dattatreya Hosabale, the RSS joint secretary saying, "We [the RSS] would want the BJP to win all the state elections because only then can significant social, political and cultural changes take place in this country... The 2014 election victory should be seen as the starting point of a long term mission."