Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, a prominent BJP leader, and Mohan Bhagwat, the head of the RSS, the ideological mentor of the ruling party, are scheduled to meet this afternoon in Gorakhpur, Adityanath’s Assembly stronghold. Sources describe the meeting as a “courtesy meet” since Bhagwat is in the Chief Minister’s constituency for an RSS event. The meeting will take place either between 2 and 4 pm or after Bhagwat’s visit to the Gorakhnath Temple.
The optics of this meeting are significant, especially following Bhagwat’s speech in Nagpur this week, which included criticisms of the campaign strategies on both sides of the political spectrum. While Bhagwat’s comments were somewhat veiled, RSS leader Indresh Kumar’s remarks were more direct, criticizing the party for its “arrogance” despite its efforts to build the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, which was expected to secure a landslide victory for the party.
Despite these criticisms, the RSS has dismissed rumors of a rift with the BJP. Sources indicate that the message was intended as a motivational boost for the BJP’s central leadership. Additionally, the RSS distanced itself from Indresh Kumar’s comments, instead framing them as a reminder that Lord Ram opposed the arrogance of the Congress-led INDIA bloc, which won 241 seats.
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Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the BJP had set an ambitious target of 370 seats (400+ with allies) to secure a third consecutive term with a strong majority. However, faced with a robust challenge from the INDIA group and resistance over policy issues, the party managed to win only 240 seats—32 short of the majority mark—forcing it to rely on ‘kingmakers’ Nitish Kumar and N Chandrababu Naidu to form the government.
