RSS and BJP Rift Over Cooperative
An unprecedented rift has emerged between the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as they vie for control of the National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI) election. According to a source, the clash stems from the central government’s strong interest in controlling cooperative activities, which directly conflicts with the RSS's cooperative wing, Sahakar Bharati.
Sahakar Bharati currently holds sway over the union and is resistant to letting three newly established national-level cooperatives participate with voting power in these elections, a source says. These three recently formed entities include, NCEL: National Cooperative Exports Limited, NCOL: National Cooperative Organics Limited & BBSSL: Bharatiya Beej Sahkari Samiti Limited. A source says Sahakar Bharati wanted to deny voting rights to these three bodies in the current election cycle to ensure its current president, a former minister in the Gujarat government during Narendra Modi’s tenure as Chief Minister, could remain in office. Conversely, another source says the RSS preferred bringing in Deena Nath Thakur from Bihar as president, crediting him as the architect who built Sahakar Bharati into its current influential position.
The political stakes escalated further when the second-in-command in the RSS entrusted BJP General Secretary (Organisation) B.L. Santhosh with safeguarding the RSS's organizational interests, according to a source. A source says the situation grew even more complex with the entry of Vishal Singh, the son-in-law of prominent BJP leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Despite Sahakar Bharati’s initial pushback, all three newly constituted cooperative bodies have already exercised their franchise, a source says. However, a source notes that Sahakar Bharati remains an exceptionally strong entity, making it virtually impossible for the central government to ignore or brush aside the vast voting power it commands. Ultimately, a source says the final decision on the matter rests with the court.
