Raje’s social engineering appeases RSS

Ajmer: The micro social engineering by chief minister Vasundhra Raje in Ajmer has made Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) happy as this will help the organization to get support of such castes and sub-castes that were away from it. Most of the RSS workers in Ajmer have been displeased by governance in Ajmer but they are waiting for directions from Nagpur (RSS headquarters) for upcoming elections.

Raje is known for meeting people directly and there are times when she sat with the locals for a cup of tea. Micro social engineering is not her style and hence the core BJP leaders termed it as RSS campaign agenda. "Raje, in her full political career, never distinguished between castes and has always talked about development, schemes and programmes," said a veteran BJP leader.

He added that many times Raje opposed the appeasement policy of Congress and always addressed development in totality. "She was dynamic and during her previous mass gatherings in Azad Park she challenged that development is for the whole society and for Ajmer. Many times she used the term 'for Ajmer,'" added the leader.

This is the first time that social engineering by Vasundhra Raje has forced BJP, RSS and affiliates to ponder over the policy adopted this time for upcoming bypolls. "For the first time the party is reaching out to these castes and sub-castes that never stood by BJP in any elections. These leaders who were called by the chief minister to meet her found large cut-outs of Deen Dayal Upadhyay and RSS heroes on the hotel premises where she interacted with them," said an RSS supporter.

He added that in different shakhas (groups) of RSS there are identified castes and classes that come for membership and regular participation and this social engineering will help RSS to get more members in those pockets where there was not a single shakha," added an RSS supporter.

Meanwhile, RSS supporters in Ajmer said that they were not happy with the functioning of government and therefore, there was protest in many wings of RSS in Ajmer like Kisan Sangh that stood against state government for farmers' problems.

Even senior RSS leaders were not heard when they put forward their problems and there was discontentment when they heard of bypolls for Lok Sabha in Ajmer. "But now these members are happy to see that Vasundhara Raje is moving on the concept of social engineering of RSS," added a source. Senior RSS leaders said that once they get instructions from Nagpur, the entire RSS wing will stand with BJP during elections as RSS has the most powerful polling booth management with thousands of volunteers.

One of the major factors that made RSS happy is that Raje, never in her continuous visits to Ajmer district went to the dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti and stayed in Pushkar. She also announced budget for the development of the holy town. "Raje used to visit dargah whenever she got an opportunity to visit the city as she herself is a secular minded person and has faith in every religion," said a source.

But Raje has not announced any development budget for dargah of the region, giving indication of polarization of votes in upcoming elections. "Though Raje met Muslim leaders but they were those who follow BJP ideology and maintain that BJP is a moderate party," added a source.