RSS, power & pitfalls

The Sangh is the most powerful it's ever been in its history. At the same time, one could also argue that it has never been so weak. How do we resolve that contradiction?

The chiefs of the RSS, or sarsanghchalaks as they are called, are usually as abstemious with their public utterances as in their lifestyles. That’s why political watchers wait for their customary annual speech on Vijayadashami or Dussehra, or an equivalent of the State of the Union address.

The current chief, Mohan Madhukarrao Bhagwat, is a break from the mostly silent past. He speaks more often but also measures his words more carefully. His immediate predecessor, the late K S Sudarshan, particularly was a headline-writer’s delight. Mr Bhagwat isn’t any of that, but still makes the headlines. As his interview with