The speculation about differences between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its mother organisation the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) over the BJP’s low performance in the Lok Sabha elections is now gaining ground with a top RSS leader offering his unique interpretation of the election results.
Indresh Kumar, a member of the national executive of the RSS, has said that the BJP was restricted to 240 seats, well below the majority mark, due to its arrogance. Referring to the INDIA bloc of opposition parties, he said, “And those who had no faith in Ram, they together were stopped at 234.” Indresh’s comment comes right after the RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said three days ago that a true sevak (the one who serves the people) never shows arrogance and always maintains decorum in public life.
Also Read: RSS leader Indresh Kumar slams BJP, says ‘those who became arrogant were stopped at 241 by Lord Ram’While these two statements that refer to arrogance will fuel the speculation about a rift between the RSS and the BJP, there is nothing new about the statements because the RSS has always been known for expressing its differences with the BJP. 
On Narendra Modi becoming the Prime Minister for the third time, Indresh Kumar had said on June 9, “Today, the rarest of the rare is happening. It has become possible which seemed impossible. That’s why I extend my best wishes.”
Indresh, the maverickWhile a number of RSS leaders often express their independent views, Indresh is particularly known to speak his mind. In 2015, the RSS leadership was annoyed with him for “unauthorisedly” wading into a political row over then foreign minister Sushma Swaraj helping Lalit Modi when the former IPL boss was wanted by law. Swaraj, who was under pressure from opposition to resign after admitting that she helped Lalit Modi, found support from Indresh who defended her and said she had never compromised on nationalism and patriotism.Sources in the RSS had told TOI that Indresh’s statement reflected his personal view, and he should have refrained from articulating it without sanction from the leadership. The RSS sources said the leadership’s annoyance with Indresh was not over the content of what he said, but the fact that he chose to dwell on the matter at all. The remark ran contrary to RSS’s steadfast insistence on being an apolitical organisation which did not interfere with the “routine matters” of the BJP.In 2014, Indresh spoke on the controversy about Gopal Subramanium, a former solicitor-general, withdrawing his consent for a Supreme Court judgeship alleging that the NDA government was engaged in a smear campaign against him. “Do not indulge in character assassination of individuals by using agencies and media” Indresh said.
In 2017, Indresh stoked a row by saying that Bhagat Singh was a “bigger” follower of non-violence than Mahatma Gandhi, who he claimed could have averted partition of the country. Speaking at a function, he said, “The definition of ‘ahimsa’ (non-violence) is very different from what has been told to us. Non-violence does not only mean shunning of violence, but it also means attacking to defend oneself from a demon. Bhagat Singh made the demons (British) realise that they were wrong, and his act of throwing a bomb in assembly was not to kill anyone. But what he suffered afterwards was actually an act of violence at the hands of the British.”
Indresh’s controversial pastIndresh was linked to the 2007 Ajmer bomb blast case during the UPA government and was probed by investigation agencies. A bomb blast on October 11, 2007 at the dargah of Khawaja Moinuddin Chisti at the time of Roza-Iftaar had left three pilgrims dead and 15 injured. The case was handed over to Rajasthan Police ATS and later transferred to the NIA, which re-registered the case on April 6, 2011. He was also questioned by the CBI in connection with the 2007 blast at Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad.
In 2017, the NIA submitted a closure report in the case, giving a clean chit to Indresh and other accused including Sadhvi Pragya, saying no prosecutable evidence was found against them.
After his acquittal, he said the people who coined the word “Hindutva terror“ have committed a “sin“, an “unpardonable act and they have to pay a price for this“. In a conversation with ET, he had said that there had been no case against him and that his name was not in the FIRs lodged.
The man behind Sangh Parivar’s Muslim outreachIndresh Kumar is the margadarshak (guide) of the Muslim Rashtriya Manch, a Muslim organisation supported by the RSS and has been leading the Sangh Parivar’s outreach to the Muslim community. He has said that 99 per cent Muslims in India are “Hindustani” by their ancestry, culture, traditions and motherland. He has also supported the view expressed by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in the past that Indians have common ancestors, hence their DNA is common.
Indresh had said in 2020 that no maulana has ever helped Muslims like Modi has. Speaking at an event on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), he said, “When Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office in 2014, some people claimed that Muslim colonies will be destroyed and they will be deprived of jobs and other facilities. Today, six years have passed and nothing bad has happened to Muslims. In fact, Muslims were given gas connections and other facilities. No maulana has ever helped Muslims like Modi has. The fear being spread in the name of CAA is ridiculous and wrong.”
Indresh belongs to Kaithal in Haryana and has studied mechanical engineering at the Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh. In 2019, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Urdu, Arabi~Farsi University in Lucknow awarded Indresh an honorary doctorate in literature at its convocation.
(With inputs from TOI)