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'Both BJP and Congress are pro-America and pro-rich'

RSS's Govindacharya creates a flutter. There is no difference between
the BJP and the Congress, he tells HARINDER BAWEJA
Photo: Shailendra Pandey

Senior RSS leader MG Vaidya has recently talked in terms of the BJP
and the Congress coming together to form a consensus government. Has
there been an internal discussion on this within the RSS?

No internal discussion. Such ideas have been floated in the past too.
The BJP is free to go ahead and work on the idea. The RSS will have no
objection. Earlier too, Advani said the same thing. What was Advani's
visit to Sonia Gandhi's house about? When he went to give her a copy
of his book. It was a gesture only. Given the political compulsions,
the need for a consensus government will arise after the elections.
The BJP and the Congress combine are unlikely to get more than 250
seats. Competition and cartelisation should be considered a part of
corporatocracy which goes under the name of democracy today.

How can the BJP and the Congress join hands? They are so ideologically
different.

Both are umbrella parties and there are swadeshi as well as videshi
elements in both of them. As far as the policies are concerned, both
the Congress and the BJP are subservient to the US. Both the parties
are pro-rich and both are pro-minorityism. Therefore, there should be
no hitch over policy differences.

Interesting. Are you saying that there is very little difference
between the two mainstream parties now?

There is only a marginal difference. The Congress may claim that they
will be bashing the BJP as Hindu communalists but only to gather
Muslim votes. So that is the only hitch. But once elections are over,
these aspects are brushed under the carpet. The cementing force is
nothing but political power.

Is it a serious thought or just an idea being floated?

This idea has got its genesis in earlier thought processes also. As
far as the RSS is concerned, definitely, it is as disenchanted with
the BJP as the Congress.

Will the RSS object to a national consensus government?

No, there will be no objection all. In fact, the RSS will feel very
relaxed because then there will be no RSS bashing.

In response to Vaidya's article, BJP president Rajnath Singh has said
that there is no such possibility.

That is just election campaign material, nothing else. After elections
when alignments are sought, differences will evaporate in the heat of
political power.

Do you think the BJP should make a beginning by saying yes to the nuclear d=
eal?

I am totally opposed to the nuclear deal. Totally opposed.

What about the RSS?

The RSS has not thought over it and the BJP is divided, not because of
any ideological position but because of the electoral gains. They
don't know which stand to take. Therefore they stand confused. That
confusion is very much evident in Yashwant Sinha taking one stand,
Brajesh Mishra another, Jaswant Singh the third and Advani the fourth.

How do you think the BJP and the Congress can sort out differences in
economic and foreign policies?

There need not be any differences in economic policies. Both will be
pro-US in their foreign policy, and in the economic policy, both will
be pro-rich. They will be part and parcel of corporatocracy. That is a
new kind of polarisation in politics.

Isn't it surprising that the RSS is willing to bless such a move? Why
this change in approach?

The idea has been supported since long. Nanaji Deshmukh supported this
idea once. Atal Behari Vajpayee too supported it when it suited him.
The political matrix has changed and the change has initiated this
idea.