Will RSS get pro-Modi leader Dattatreya Hosabale as its No 2?
Will RSS, the inspirational force that ‘guides’ the ruling BJP, see a change of guard at the top? If the buzz we are hearing from RSS circles is right, the Sah Sarkaryavah (the secretary general) could be replaced and a younger and more active Dattatreya Hosabale could take over.
In the RSS system, Sar Sanghchalak is supreme, but a guiding force. It is the Sar Karyavah, who wields the real power. Sources say, the current No. 2, Suresh Joshi, known more popularly as Bhaiyyaji Joshi, could step down citing age and health reasons and a younger and more dynamic Dattatreya could take over.
Dattatreya, a Havyak Brahmin from Karnataka, is known for his grasp of socio polity, organizational acumen and a huge popularity within the organization. He has friends across the political spectrum and even know BJP and RSS detractors speak highly about him. Dattatreya Hosabale is known to enjoy best of relations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Another factor that favours Dattatreya Hosabale is that he has risen through the ranks and became the organizing secretary of the ABVP, the most powerful student outreach of the RSS. Most of the younger politicians in the BJP today are products of the ABVP and his ABVP connections could come handy for Dattatreya in decision making, expecially in regard to RSS-BJP relations.
The top decision-making body of the RSS – the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha – which is meeting in the first week of March, will in all likelihood, anoint Hosabale as the secretary general.
Sources say Hosabale is the to-go man within the RSS and has been playing a key role in ironing out the rough edges in RSS-BJP relations. RSS will soon discuss the upcoming Rajasthan, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgar polls, where the stakes are very high and a defeat in these elections could have a snowballing effect on anti-Modi forces.
Both the RSS and the BJP feel that the BJP should win Karnataka to sustain its momentum and carry it forward to 2019 polls.