Between January 18-20, the rss, reeling from having their swadeshi doctrine jettisoned by the Vajpayee government, called a hush-hush meeting in Delhi. The two main figures were rss joint general secretary K.C. Sudershan, the moving spirit behind the Swadeshi Jagaran Manch (sjm), and veteran rss trade unionist Dattopant Thengari, who shot to prominence in 98 by sitting on a dharna against the bjp regimes economic policies. The aim: to fashion a stand on the reforms.
Said a participant: "Were concerned over moves to allow imports of, and fix the tariff on, products like rice, milk and pulses, to open crucial infrastructure areas to fdi. Thats like handing over our development as a nation to foreigners. Also, there is this wanton disinvestment in psus. All this is causing immense heartburn within the ranks."
Insiders admit that post-97, when the swadeshi voices were at their loudest, "there has been a complete breakdown in communication" with the government - a fact that has led to growing unease within the ranks. Swadeshi activists, however, point out that the rss is "so pleased with the kudos its getting from Atal and Advani these days (a reference to it being called a cultural organisation) that theyve forgotten about swadeshi." Sources said the rss brass has made up its mind to do some plainspeaking with the government "soon", but will do so through private channels because they dont want a repeat of the 97-98 confrontation.
The swadeshiwallahs have built a rapport with many across the spectrum - from ex-PM Chandra Shekhar to Left and rss-backed trade unions. Theyve been exchanging information and coordinating closely over the Patents Bill and wto pacts. Sources say once given the go-ahead, "mobilising substantial support in Parliament will only be a matter of weeks".
Some figures closely associated with the sjm have made their way to other front organisations of the rss. Says one: "If this is the way our ideology is to be rubbished, Sudershanji should just wind up the sjm and tell us not to talk swadeshi any more."
A middle-level swadeshi hardliner in the party says "if people like Dr Joshi", who is considered as pro-swadeshi as you can get, are going along with such moves, what is left for people like him to do?
Perhaps do what trade unionist Keshubhai Kakkar did during the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (bms) meeting on February 9. He openly flayed the Centre for "selling national assets". Or take the line of bms mouthpiece Vishwakarma, which is running headlines like "Quit wto". M.K. Pandhe, cpi(m) politburo member, says "theyve realised that if they support this economic policy, they will lose their mass base". But the pro-liberalisation Vajpayee administration appears to be leading the country in a different direction.
