In the last week of the bygone year 2025, the BJP’s pointman regarding the organisational affairs of the party at the national level had a one to one interaction with the Panchjanya, New Delhi which was aired by the media inordinately. The print media also covered the interview which was for the first time of its kind given by BJP’s All India General Secretary (Organisation) B.L.Santhosh who holds a very important position in the party after the President of the organisation. Traditionally speaking, since BJP is a cadre based political party, the General Secretary (Organisation) holds the key position of responsibility both at the national level and also at the state level. They (General Secretaries-Organisation) can be called the guiding forces in the party in regard to the organisational affairs and also about the implementation of the policy and programme of the party at the national level and in the states.
The General Secretaries (Organisatìon) is the modern version of Organising Secretaries which was in vogue at the time of the Bhartiya Jan Sangh (BJS). They are usually deputed by the RSS to the BJP and are mostly the life-long ‘pracharaks’ (full time activists). The party banks upon them as the source of last resort in terms of the all important field of organisational affairs. B.L.Santhosh is a life-long pracharak from Karnataka and before taking over as the General Secretary (Organisation), he was holding the same responsibility in the organisation in the Karnataka state. It can be easily said that he stands out as an expert and a senior spokesmodel in connection with the organisational affairs of the party.
The interview at the outset makes it clear for the viewer that it was a well planned presentation of the party at the time when there are elections due in four states and a Union Territory in four month’s time. The BJP-NDA is in power in Assam and Puducherry while the opposition parties linked to Indi-Alliance are in power in the other three states namely, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and West Bengal. The BJP seems to be in surge in all the three key states but in the state of West Bengal, the BJP has evolved high stakes in the state over the past one decade. It is after a great marathon run that the party is perceived to be reaching the finishing line this time with great inputs from all important quarters within the party.
The first thing Santhosh dealt with was about the internal democracy within the party. He was forthright in saying that the situation of consultations and internal interaction in regard to the party affairs was far ahead and satisfactory in the BJP as compared to other political parties. In fact, right from the days of BJS when stalwarts like Deen Dayal Upadhaya, Nanaji Deshmukh and Govindacharya used to be the party incharges of organisational affairs, the party would focus on elections in the party on the due dates as per the party’s constitution and practice. There is no dilution in this tradition after the establishment of BJP in 1980.
In regard to the appointment of the Working President of the party recently, it is basically an outcome of a long drawn consultation process which people generally come to know about when the decision is taken and announced formally. The appointment of Nitin Nabin as the Working President of the party at the national level is a prelude to his election as the full fledged National President in due course of time. This establishes the notion that BJP is a party with a difference where dynastic or feudal mindsets have no place to settle down. He emphasized the role of consultations and discussions within the party with a free mind and notion keeping the decorum of discipline in high esteem.
In a question related to the relationship of BJP with the RSS, Santhosh made it amply clear that RSS remains the main inspirational fountainhead so far as the basic or core ideological issues in regard to nationalism and patriotism are concerned. But BJP being an independent organisation, it takes its decisions by itself like any other organisation. The relationship between RSS and BJP is grounded in values and ‘sanskars’ and therefore there can’t be any limit to the impact of the relationship. When we get engaged in consultations and deliberations on important matters concerning the party, society and the nation with different sets of people in the society, RSS in this context has surely a special position.
The pick of the entire interview in terms of the political reverberations was definitely his statement on Bengal in the concluding part of the interaction. He said, “Bengal is not a political battle for us, it is a civilizational battle for us, we look (at) it in the same way…..(In order) to save India, we have to win Bengal…..that won’t be our 19th or 20th state in the kitty only but to save India from a big demographic challenge, we want to win Bengal and we will win with the blessings of the people”. This statement speaks about the BJP’s vision and the mission in action. Elections in West Bengal are surely a crucial battle for BJP in the given situation.
The above statement takes us to history when Bengal would be the leading light of our cultural, civilizational, social and political movements and renaissance in the period post 1857 first war of Indian independence. However, the partition of Bengal in 1905 paved the way for partition of the country on communal lines in 1947. The influences of partition continue to haunt our nation and West Bengal and Assam are the two states that are giving the maximum pain to the nation in this context. Bengladeshi infiltrators have created havoc in certain states politically, electorally and even socially. The political dispensations in West Bengal have been seen encouraging this potential threat to the nation continuously after 1971.
It is time that the corrective measures at official level are taken forthwith to save the nation from an immediate demographic threat particularly in its eastern and north-eastern sector. The illegal infiltration supported by the government of Bangladesh and some elements active in the political field in India needs to be tackled with the help of the limbs and power of the government machinery which the current dispensation in West Bengal has refused to comply with. Therefore, the change of government in West Bengal becomes a national prerequisite to save India from a civilizational threat in future. Hence, BJP has taken upon itself this onerous task keeping in view the civilizational and national priority beyond its electoral and political goals.
For any political party, fighting and winning elections is a part of its agenda and the BJP for that matter is no exception. ‘But the BJP doesn’t believe in enjoying the pleasures of power after winning the election. We want to reach the corridors of power to bring the desired change necessary for the security, welfare and the advancement of the society and the nation….there can’t be any compromise in this perspective of the party. Most of the time it is perceived that the issues should be followed in a missionary spirit, but in case we want to bring the desired changes, the power is absolutely important’.
In this context, Santhosh gave the examples of abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A and clarified that it was possible only because of the political power in our own hands. The ideology, vision and thoughts of a political party need backing and intervention of administrative and political machinery to implement the party’s policy and programmes on ground. He also gave the example of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to explain the subject. ‘PM Modi used his position to bring to the fore very important issues for resolution and creating awareness among the masses. The talk about decolonization is the latest in this connection’. Thus the political power and the political will go ahead hand in hand.
In reply to another question Santhosh made a philosophical explanation of the stand of the party in context of certain issues where it is perceived that the party was deviating from its deep rooted position and the ideological commitment. He was candid in his elucidation that politics was not a straight line and many a time one has to navigate to reach the desired destination by taking a different route. Sometimes even a river takes two routes but later meets after navigating a certain destination and overcoming the obstacles enroute. The commitment of BJP towards its ideals is steadfast and meticulous.
BJP doesn’t believe in the centralisation of processes but concepts remain centralised. He maintained that the grassroot level leadership is encouraged to be chosen from the lower levels and the younger generation is pushed through various processes which are fundamentally decentralised. This kind of process discourages status quo and keeps vested interest at bay. The generational shift in the leadership at various levels brings the desired changes along with; and this sort of dynamism keeps on adding value to the party’s policy and programme in a perpetual manner. That makes the BJP a party with a difference in its true sense and spirit in the eyes of the common people.
It is expected that such illuminating interviews cum interactions will follow in future as well particularly in the public domain in order to bring down curtains on fake stories and propaganda about the party by the vested interests; and the right narratives do get created and disseminated for the activists and the public at large.
