How Sisodia’s Anti-CAA Remark Got RSS Mobilised for Delhi Polls

“At least 3 meetings are to be organised by swayamsevaks at every polling booth across Delhi,” RSS leader said..

After remaining relatively inactive in the Delhi election campaign, RSS cadre began heavily mobilising in the third week of January, by organising three meetings in each polling booth, senior leaders from Delhi RSS told The Quint.

What provoked RSS' mobilisation at the time is AAP leader and Deputy CM Manish Sisodia's statement from 23 January, when in an interview, he said that he 'stood with the people of Shaheen Bagh.'

By uttering these words, he broke the diplomatic silence the party had maintained till three weeks before the elections.

"If politics impinges upon our core social issues and values, then we will speak. Like the Ram Mandir issue, we spoke up then. Similarly, while RSS might not oppose Kejriwal as a policy but when it comes to Manish Sisodia's statements against the implementation of CAA and NRC, that has certainly hurt the RSS. The karyakartas would be upset about it and naturally mobilise,” RSS leaning political commentator Desh Ratan Nigam said.

Nigam added that the RSS is clear in its support for CAA. “We want persecuted Hindus and Sikhs to be given citizenship," he said.

3 Meetings Per Polling Booth

"We have told our RSS cadre to ensure 100 percent polling in Delhi. For doing that, they need to organise at least three meetings at every polling booth. The first with maids, drivers and servants, the second one with the youth and the third with the general public. These are three meetings that are supposed to be done at every single polling booth. These meetings will be drawing room kind of meetings... hyperlocal meetings. Each meeting will be attended by 25-100 people," Rajiv Tuli, RSS Delhi’s state executive member, told The Quint.

When asked if mobilisation of Sangh workers had anything to do with the tensed debates and polarisation around CAA-NRC, Tuli, who has been interacting with the cadre regularly, said:

"This is the one election where RSS karyakartas are not complaining. In every other election in Delhi, they've complained. Either about BJP councillors not listening to them or about the way tickets were distributed. But in this election, no one is complaining. The RSS karyakartas are happy with what the central government is doing. Ram Mandir is done, the Jammu and Kashmir issue is being taking care of with the abrogation of 370. The CAA as well... initially they were not able to understand it, but later they saw through the lies. This has helped them want a nationalist government on the state-level and they are working towards it."

All Delhi-based RSS leaders said the Sangh chooses to mobilise or be vocal only when elections are about their core issues. The CAA is now counted as one of them. There are an approximate 1.5 lakh Sangh members in Delhi, The Quint has learnt.

The Issues Being Raised in RSS’ Meetings

Talking about the issues the RSS cadre is raising in these meetings, Tuli said, "Whatever BJP has mentioned in their manifesto is their problem. We have nothing to do with that. BJP will propagate their manifesto and promises through their machinery. We are basically telling people that no election is a small election. Every election has a national repercussion, so this election should also be fought on the basis of national issues. Hence, freebies or galli, paani and bijil, (street, water and electricity) should not lure the voter to another party. We are asking them to focus on all that the central government has done, regarding the CAA, Ram Mandir, Article 370, Triple Talaq etc. These are the only issues and the real issues which are going to remain."

The Quint gained access to the pamphlet that is being distributed at these hyperlocal meetings. Some of the points mentioned in it are:

My precious vote is for those, who were able to:
1. Find a solution to the Jammu & Kashmir problem
2. Ensure construction of a temple at Ram Janmabhoomi
3. Passed the Citizenship Amendment Act
4. Bringing an end to Triple Talaq

RSS' Poll Strategy: To Change How The Voter Votes

By repeatedly glorifying how BJP being in power has helped accomplish core aspirations of the RSS, the carde is relentlessly pursuing their strategy called Lokmat or Janmat Parishkar. This means to change the way people vote.

Tuli said, "Hamare yahan isko bolte hai janmat or lokmat parishkaar, which means, to change the way people vote. People should, to begin with, understand what they should vote on. If someone gives you 200 units of free electricity how can you vote on the basis of that?"

Another top Delhi RSS leader, who is involved in these day-to-day meetings and requested anonymity, explains how this strategy is deployed in these hyperlocal meetings:

"We want people to vote on national issues only. In these meetings, when we ask people to tell us what they'll vote on the basis of, and if they say they'll vote on the basis of low electricity tariffs, we tell them their basis to vote is not correct. That national issues should be prioritised. We tell them that abrogation of Article 370 is good, that the construction of Ram Mandir is finally happening, and how the CAA will benefit Pakistani Hindus."

Open about his support for the BJP, Nigam said, “The reason we support the BJP is because they support us in turn. When we pressed for Ram Mandir, the BJP stood for us. Hence, we will vote for them.”

Accusing those sitting in Shaheen Bagh to know nothing about the law, Tuli said, "The Opposition is organising the minority vote saying that CAA and NRC is going to be implemented. If you go, talk to the people on the ground, Muslims or the minorities, then they do not even know what the CAA/NRC is but they are trying to polarise the elections by placing the Muslims in the front... by organising Shaheen Bagh and several similar protests across Delhi. Our motive is that the voter votes by prioritising national issues."