The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh wants the Narendra Modi government to tamp down the border tension with China and use the neighbour’s aggression in Ladakh to isolate the “deceptive Red Dragon” on the world stage.

Despite a sense of annoyance within the RSS over the government’s handling of the Ladakh border clash and the wider bilateral relations with China, the BJP’s ideological parent is cautious not to spell it out in public.

Officially, the RSS has chosen to stand in “complete solidarity” with “Bharat’s armed forces and the government”, with Sangh leaders arguing this is not the time to criticise.

The RSS has always been cautious not to publicly criticise the current government given Modi’s popularity and the realisation that he is the best the camp can offer.

“We have always been urging, not only the current but also previous governments, to be wary of communist China and adopt a very strong policy,” an RSS leader said.

“A strong stand, however, doesn’t mean going to war to avenge the death of our soldiers. We have to deal with China not only militarily but on a number of other fronts,” the leader added.

The leader said the Modi government had erred in going out of its way to woo China — a reference to the lavish welcome accorded to President Xi Jinping when he visited India.

“Now, however, the government has fully understood that a country ruled by expansionist communists can’t be trusted,” the leader said.

Ideologically, the RSS sees communist China as an avowed enemy but feels that any impulsive action following the killing of 20 soldiers in the Galwan Valley could be counter-productive for India.

Unlike Modi, the RSS in its official statement after the killing of 20 Indian soldiers did not use words such as “befitting reply”.

“We strongly condemn this aggressive and violent act of the Chinese government and the Chinese army,” a statement from RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and general secretary Bhaiyaji Joshi said. “In this time of crisis, we the people of Bharat stand by Bharat’s armed forces and the government in complete solidarity,” the statement added.

RSS affiliate Swadeshi Jagran Manch has been leading a campaign for long to boycott Chinese goods. The RSS mouthpiece Organiser has been running a sustained ideological campaign against China since the Covid-19 pandemic reached India and also over reports of intrusion in Ladakh. The RSS feels a multi-pronged campaign within and outside India is needed to isolate China.

After the violent Ladakh face-off, an Organiser editorial stressed on the need for a “global strategy” to isolate China.

“The armed forces, along with the political leadership, will take a call on the appropriate military response. Beyond that, we should lead the global strategy to tame the non-transparent, undemocratic and expansionist Red Dragon,” the editorial said.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Organiser editor Praful Ketkar said a strong anti-China sentiment had been generated globally not only due to the “non-transparent” handling of the coronavirus crisis but also the aggressive expansionist policies being pursued under Xi.

“India has the opportunity to seize the anti-China feeling across the world. The world must unite against China, and India can lead the effort,” Ketkar said, clarifying that he was not speaking on behalf of the RSS but as the editor of the Organiser.

Ketkar said that while the killing of Indian soldiers was a serious issue, intrusion attempts by China were nothing new. He pointed out that everybody talks of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir but nobody broaches Aksai Chin.

“Aksai Chin is also a part of Jammu and Kashmir that is under Chinese occupation,” Ketkar said, accusing previous Congress governments of allowing such occupations by Pakistan and China.

The RSS and the BJP are aware that the cancellation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into Union Territories had irked both Pakistan and China but feel they can’t go back on the issue and should handle it carefully on the global stage while remaining firm.

RSS insiders said that in the days to come, they would slowly foreground the issue of “China-occupied Jammu and Kashmir” and ensure it gains currency like PoK.