RSS Says It Won’t Exercise Remote Control As Process Of Ministry Formation Gathers Steam

Modi set to get free hand in both govt and party

Sulking Seniors Won't Get Help From Nagpur

New Delhi: Amid fierce lobbying for ministerial berths by BJP aspirants, the RSS on Sunday claimed that it would not interfere with government formation, in a clear signal that Narendra Modi has a free hand in picking his team and anxious seniors must settle their claims with the PM-elect rather than bank on the Sangh to intercede on their behalf. 
    Articulating the RSS position, Sangh leader Ram Madhav said, "The Sangh has not given any guidelines to the BJP or Modiji after the historic victory in the elections. The RSS never keeps any remote control to perform any role in politics and government." 
    However, Madhav said the Sangh may give suggestions, and expects the government to be sensitive to the Parivar's ideological orientation. "People's representatives who won the Lok Sabha polls are aware of the Sangh's ideology and they know how to do work and take forward its ideology. There is no way the RSS will interfere in government functioning and politics," he said. 
    The Sangh's "clarification" came even as BJP leaders, including Ananth Kumar, Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Harsh Vardhan, were seen at the RSS's Delhi headquarters amid hectic lobbying for ministerial berths ahead of Modi being sworn in as prime minister. 
BUSY SUNDAY 
FLURRY OF CALLS, MEETINGS AHEAD OF FINALIZATION OF CABINET, WHICH MAY 
BE SWORN IN ON MAY 24 
    Ministerial hopefuls from Karnataka Ananth Kumar, BSY meet Narendra Modi. Kumar meets Rajnath Singh too 
    Modi meets Amit Shah, BJP gen secy Jagat Prakash Nadda 
and Bihar in-charge 
Dharmendra Pradhan 
    Around 12.15pm, Modi drives to L K Advani's house, meets for over 40 minutes 
    Ram Vilas Paswan and family call on Modi, as does Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje 
    Rajnath meets Arun Jaitley, Amit Shah and RSS point man in BJP Ram Lal 
    BJP leaders Venkaiah Naidu, Kalraj Mishra, Gopinath Munde, Harsh Vardhan & Rajiv Pratap Rudy meet RSS leaders at Jhandewalan office LK may not be considered for Speaker post 
New Delhi: Acknowledging speculation that the RSS will have a big role in the BJP's affairs, particularly as it threw its might behind the Modi campaign, Sangh leader Ram Madhav told the media in Jaipur: "This is common cause of concern for people, especially the Congress which wants to know what the RSS will do next…The same question was posed to Atal Bihari Vajpayee, to which the former PM replied that he himself was a direct remote control." 
    The stand and its articulation in public is seen as significant in view of the estimate, as reported by TOI last week, that finding slots for the veteran duo of L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi may be problematic in view of their stature and might require intervention by the RSS. 
    The presence of senior RSS leaders, except its chief Mohanrao Bhagwat, in Delhi, has led many to believe that the parent saffron outfit may be willing to umpire differences over the choice of portfolios, especially the seniors. 
    Madhav's statement was meant to dispel the perception and drive home the fact that Modi's call on portfolios would be final. In the light of the RSS stance, seniors like Advani and Joshi may have to go along with the consensus within the party's top ranks. The party does not seem inclined to consider Advani for the Lok Sabha Speaker's post. The view that Modi will be free to choose his Cabinet and decide on the claims of leaders to portfolios was echoed by senior BJP sources who said all decisions will have to be taken on party forums. 
    The scale of the BJP's mandate of 282 seats in the Lok Sabha and the NDA's tally of 336 MPs seems to have effectively sealed any possibility of Modi's authority being challenged, besides limiting jockeying within the party. Sources said the RSS position that it will be available "only for consultation" suits the temperament of Bhagwat, claiming that contrary to the allegations, he does not believe in micro-managing the BJP. In fact, after being in Delhi on Thursday, Bhagwat left on a prescheduled tour of south India and is due to be in Delhi only towards the end of June. 
    The RSS chief is understood to be keen that the Sangh turn its attention back to its organizational activities after having been part of a campaign aimed at boosting the turnout of voters. It remains to be seen if Joshi does make it to the Cabinet. Sources said while seniority and contribution would be a factor in the selection of candidates, individual leaders would not be able to leverage their "stature" to claim a particular ministry.