Vajpayee vs Modi on core RSS issues of 370, Ram temple and uniform civil code

The political ideology of Hindutva as espoused by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) rests on three pillars: abrogation of Article 370, building Ram temple in Ayodhya at the site where Babri Masjid once stood and enforcing uniform civil code (UCC) in the country.

These three are the core resolutions of the BJP, the party which rules about two-thirds of the country.

The RSS tasted power for the first time in 1960s when the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), the precursor to the BJP, formed coalition governments in Madhya Pradesh and later in Uttar Pradesh. At the Centre, the BJS, which drew its leadership and cadre from the RSS, was part of ruling Janata Party government during 1977-80. That government did not share the RSS ideology on three core issues.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the first politician of RSS mould to become the prime minister. The BJP had emerged as the single-largest party in 1996 but did not get support from other parties and Vajpayee had to resign after 13 days. Two years later, the BJP - contesting election on those three core issues - won more seats and, more importantly, allies to form government at the Centre.

How Vajpayee dealt with 370, Ram temple and UCC?

Once in power, Vajpayee was under pressure from the RSS hardliners to move positively on the three critical issues. But a deft politician that Vajpayee was in his prime, he managed to keep RSS, led by KS Sudarshan, under his thumb.

The ideology of Hindutva took a backseat while Vajpayee charioted a 13-party government for six years through a mid-term poll. Vajpayee agreed to a national agenda of governance (NAG) that kept the issues relating to Article 370, Ram temple and uniform civil code outside the purview of the government. This left RSS frustrated.

Vajpayee had Brajesh Mishra, not known for his love for Hindutva politics, as his principal secretary and gave more importance to ministerial colleagues who were not identified with the three core issues.

Jaswant Singh and Arun Shourie were among the go-to men for Vajpayee. They were not ones liked by the RSS. To balance it off, Vajpayee had to make LK Advani, the then Hindutva poster boy of the RSS, the deputy prime minister in 2002.

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When NDA government lost power in 2004, the RSS blamed it on Vajpayee's politics and the BJP's deviation from the three core issues.

What changed under Narendra Modi?

The 2014 Lok Sabha elections were the first occasion when a party driven by the RSS ideology won majority on its own. Narendra Modi, known for his strong Hindutva stance, became the prime minister.

Interestingly, the BJP manifesto for the 2014 polls did not give much importance to the issues of Article 370, Ram temple and uniform civil code. These were not made part of official programme of governance of the Narendra Modi government.

But something else happened outside the direct purview of the government that has followed the wishful template of the RSS. There has been some definite movement on all the three core issues. Public interest litigation (PIL) has been the chief instrument of change for the RSS.

RSS ideas routed through PILs

A PIL is being heard by the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of Article 35A. This is not part of the Constitution but entered in the Appendices. It is the cog in the wheel that allows Article 370 to make a difference in Jammu and Kashmir. With the Centre taking ambivalent position, the PIL has set the cat among pigeons.

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Another PIL saw the Supreme Court declaring instant triple talaq unconstitutional. Earlier, instant triple talaq was under the purview of the Muslim Personal Law. Personal laws cover matters related to marriage, divorce and succession.

The RSS is of the view that there should be a uniform set of law for all Indians irrespective of their religious prescriptions. The Constitution also provides for uniform civil code but it is mentioned as one of the directive principles of state policies and hence not enforceable in a court of law.

The Supreme Court judgment on instant triple talaq was hailed a step closer to the core issue of uniform civil code.

The Supreme Court is also hearing, now on fast-track mode, the title suit of Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi dispute. The Allahabad High Court had, in 2010, ruled for tri-furcation of the disputed land with two parts going to the Hindus and one to the Muslims.

With the Narendra Modi government in power and inclined towards constructing a Ram temple in Ayodhya, the RSS is hopeful of getting a favourable judgment in the matter. The ruling dispensation is unlikely to argue against its position.

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