Sangh-BJP kinship on a good wicket: Political scientist, author Nalin Mehta

"For its political ground game - with over 180 million members - BJP is structurally much less dependent now on the RSS to mobilise votes," Nalin Mehta said

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat’s comments this week on the changing social role of the RSS and the role of RSS workers in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have once again generated new debate on the BJP-RSS relationship. Political scientist Nalin Mehta, author of The New BJP: Modi and the Making of the World’s Largest Political Party and Dean, School of Modern Media, UPES, in conversation with Aditi Phadnis, talks about the relationship between the Sangh and BJP and the outlook for 2024. Edited excerpts:

How would you describe the current relationship between the BJP and the