One-liners come naturally to BJP President M. Venkaiah Naidu. Shortly after he took over as party chief last year, he was asked about the BJP's equations with its partners in the NDA. His reply: "We will march with the BJP's jhanda (flag) and NDA's agenda." But if his recent utterances and actions are any indication, Naidu's new slogan may well be "BJP ka jhanda, RSS ka agenda." In the past six months, Naidu has been slowly, but surely, pushing both the party and the Government to return to the Sangh Parivar philosophy.

IN SYNC: Naidu (left) has Vajpayee's approval to bridge the RSS-BJP gap

In a recent reorganisation in several state units, Naidu ensured that most of the new office-bearers were drawn from the RSS. Of late, he has also been encouraging an open dialogue between the Government and various Parivar outfits. Most important, he has directed some cabinet ministers and chief ministers in the BJP-ruled states to regularly brief the RSS leadership on administrative and political developments in the states and at the Centre. Says Naidu: "A political party cannot afford to be apologetic about its ideology.'' Unless Naidu is restrained by some sort of political backlash, the Government and the BJP may end up as entities of the RSS, by the RSS and for the RSS. The Modi Mantra, it seems, is finally being imposed at the national level.

With important assembly elections due later this year and the Lok Sabha polls in 2004, Naidu believes only the Sangh ideology can ensure victory for the BJP. Which is why he recently began to reach out to the RSS leadership after a long time. Accompanied by four general secretaries-Pramod Mahajan, Rajnath Singh, Mukhtar Naqvi and Anita Arya-he drove down to the RSS headquarters at Jhandewalan in Delhi last week. The RSS was represented by its CEO Mohan Rao Bhagwat, coo Madan Das Devi, additional spokesperson Ram Madhav, and BJP Vice-President representing the RSS in the party, Bal Apte.

The visit was significant in that it was the first time in nearly a decade that the top party leadership had gone to the RSS office to discuss politics and settle thorny issues. In the nearly 90 minutes that Naidu spent with the RSS leaders, he sought their help to tame the belligerent VHP cadres, help the BJP contain its growing indiscipline and induct fresh blood in the party in the states. Later, Devi told India Today, "Venkaiahji has been in regular touch with us. He is not hesitant about having a dialogue with the RSS and considering our suggestions.''

In the past too, BJP presidents have had strong links with the RSS but none has been as demonstrative as Naidu. Ignoring the political fallout of his actions-at least some partners in the NDA are likely to disapprove-Naidu with a clear agenda in mind has been engineering a bonding with various Sangh outfits. Realising that it was not the Opposition but the RSS leaders who had caused maximum damage to the credibility of the BJP and the NDA Government, Naidu chose to reach out to them directly and offer them important positions both in the Government and the party.

Naidu's flirtation with the Sangh Parivar began shortly after the BJP was mauled in last year's assembly elections in Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh. But the Gujarat elections proved what perfect coordination with the RSS could yield. As a Union cabinet minister says succinctly, "The BJP minus RSS translates into Jammu and defeat. The BJP plus Sangh Parivar means Gujarat and massive mandate. There is no choice."

Armed with the approval of both Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, Naidu has begun inducting only RSS cadres in the BJP. He has been in office for less than a year, but the number of RSS-sponsored office-bearers has already gone up from 40 to 55. All have been given key positions-organisation secretaries-in important states (see box).

Naidu defends his excessive dependence on the RSS by saying they are in a better position to ensure discipline in the party. "They have been through the grind and know what to do." Till the BJP came to power at the Centre, its leaders took pride in referring to it as a "party with a difference". If the slogan is not used anymore, it is because most of its state units are plagued with groupism and indiscipline.

In states like Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka, a large number of party MLAs have defected to other parties and become ministers. In the Himachal Pradesh assembly polls on February 26, every fourth BJP candidate faces a party rebel, some of whom are more formidable opponents than the Congress candidates. BJP insiders admit that in many states the RSS cadres are leading agitations against the BJP and the NDA Government, while party organs like Panchjanya and Organiser have been critical of Government's policies. There is, of course, the Swadeshi Jagran Manch which frequently takes to the streets to oppose the Vajpayee Government's economic policies.

Naidu realises that to a large extent the party's resurgence depends on closing ranks with the RSS. He has already requested the prime minister to meet the RSS leadership periodically and listen to their views even if they are not in tune with the NDA agenda. In the past couple of months, Devi has met both Vajpayee and Advani at least twice. At these meetings where Naidu was present, Devi referred to RSS' reservations on various government policies, even its dislike of certain individuals for key posts. That perhaps explains why Devi was informed about the selection of the new ministers and even allocation of portfolios in the recent cabinet reshuffle. For instance, it was on the insistence of the RSS that Arun Shourie was divested of Commerce and Industry. Again, it was at the behest of the RSS that Ravi Shanker Prasad, an old ABVP leader, was given independent charge of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. Even on legislations in Parliament, both the Government and the BJP are paying heed to the RSS concerns: the bill to allow proxy voting for defence personnel was moved at RSS prodding. The Government was also persuaded to approach the Supreme Court for vacation of the stay on allotment of the undisputed land in Ayodhya as part of its woo-the-RSS strategy. In lieu, the RSS leadership has promised to rein in the recalcitrant elements in the Sangh Parivar.

FRIENDS IN NEED: Advani (left) and Devi

Next, the BJP chief is turning his attention to the Union ministers and party chief ministers. His diktat: consult the party and RSS leaders before filling up key positions in the Government. When Finance Minister Jaswant Singh sent a list of over 300 non-official directors for appointment on the boards of various public-sector banks to the BJP office for suggestion, Naidu forwarded the list to the state-level RSS leadership. Similarly, Law Minister Arun Jaitley was advised to appoint a large number of RSS supporters as legal counsels to various public-sector undertakings and government departments, and also asked to brief RSS leaders on the Tokyo round of WTO talks. Meanwhile, Human Resource Development Minister M.M. Joshi is working closely with the RSS leadership in filling up senior posts in universities. Urban Development Minister Ananth Kumar never lets shortage of land in Delhi stand in his way of allotting large properties to organisations "involved in cultural and social activities" associated with the Sangh Parivar.

Asserts Naidu: "For 50 years, the Left and the Congress misused power for their own benefit. We are only doing things according to merit. We are determined to give an ideological thrust to the Government and we are not ashamed of it (see interview)." Devi concurs, "Now, we both have a better understanding of each other. We are heard and our requests are also given due weightage by the Government."

Naidu knows that his success will be measured not by how well he handles internal party matters or carries along the NDA partners, but by his capacity to carry the Parivar with him. Failure would mean he joins the likes of Balraj Madhok, Bangaru Laxman and Kushabhau Thakre, whose presidential terms were at best forgettable. If he succeeds, he could join the illustrious company of former party chiefs Vajpayee and Advani.

Interview: M. Venkaiah Naidu