The Hindu nationalist group, Rashtriya Samajsevak Sangh (RSS) released pamphlets in Madhya Pradesh urging people to vote.
The pamphlet, however, was decidedly in the vein of supporting the interests of the majority and criticises increasing appeasement of minority communities.
Released in the BJP controlled state, it also goes on to bring up issues such as encroachment of Indian territory, followed by silence on part of the central government demoralising our defence troops. It demands a change to a nationalist government and urges voters to decide upon national issues and to transcend the mohallas, punchayats and states.
Quite cleverly, the pamphlet hands to outright references to either the Congress or the BJP but does critique those who have ruled for a majority of time post independence, probably referring to that faction of the liberal left that has almost consistently been in power, critiquing it for allowing corruption and terrorism to take hold of our nation and how it is perceived by other countries. It views the appeasement of the minorities as a technique to garner votes and further calls it out for dividing the nation and hampering its best interests due to lack of decisive measures.
The RSS also lauched a statewide campaign in Gujarat. The door to door campaign beginning on April 7, the same as BJP's manifesto. However, the Gujarat pamphlet listed a seris of scams that took place under the governance of UPA-II accompanied by a picture of 26/11 to highlight the government's ineffectiveness with regard to prevention of terrorism.
Similar to the Madhya Pradesh campaign, it urges people to refuse voting for a party overly focussed on minority interests.
The RSS media -in-charge Pradip Jain however denies that they are campaigning for the BJP. Merely for a 100% turnout for which they have teams placed at various levels.
The BJP claims to focus solely on development and yet, certain leaders and parts of their manifesto and agenda have been criticised as being defined by the Hindutva ideology. Questions arise as to why parties are in a constant state of politicising diverse communities and their interests by pitting them against one another and whether the RSS pamphlet is contradicting its own warning by appeasing to the nation's majority. The group has often been criticised for being extremist and paramilitary.
