An annual RSS conclave begins on Friday amid expectations of a “key direction” from the outfit’s chief Mohan Bhagwat, whose cryptic post-election comments were seen widely as censure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

All the top leaders of the BJP’s ideological parent will attend the three-day meeting of its “prant pracharaks” or provincial publicists in Ranchi, capital of poll-bound Jharkhand.

Although the meeting is officially meant to discuss organisational matters and the outfit’s centenary celebrations next year, RSS leaders said the “present political and social situation in the country” often comes up for discussion at such gatherings.

“The concluding address of the sarsanghchalak (RSS chief) is loaded with political messages for the prant pracharaks, who form the backbone of the RSS,” an RSS
official said.

He hoped that Bhagwat would issue some kind of “key direction” to the “pracharaks” about what their role should be in the aftermath of the Lok Sabha poll results, which denied the BJP a simple majority.

Bhagwat had last month publicly disapproved of the “ahankar” (arrogance) of the “sevak”, which was seen as a dig at Modi, who likes to call himself the “Pradhan Sevak” of the country.

The RSS chief had also condemned the “bitterness” that marked the electioneering and said it had endangered social harmony — a comment in which many saw a possible indictment of Modi’s hate-mongering campaign.

The RSS brass feels that the setback the BJP suffered in the general election owed primarily to its sense of hubris. Privately, RSS leaders say the BJP unilaterally picked the Lok Sabha candidates and decided the campaign strategy.

The conclave is expected to lay out a blueprint for the future to ensure that the outfit’s proximity to power (under BJP rule) doesn’t distract its cadre from its primary ideological objectives.

“Topics like a report and review of the Sangh’s training camps, and implementation of the plan for the coming year (will feature)…. There will also be discussions on the RSS centenary year (2025-26),” RSS national publicity-in-charge Sunil Ambekar said.

He said the meeting was being held after a series of training camps in May-June, and that “prant pracharaks” from across the country would be present. The RSS divides the country organisationally into 46 “prants” or provinces.

RSS insiders said that despite Modi pursuing all the Sangh’s ideological agendas, and having already fulfilled most of them, the parent outfit feels itself sidelined in key matters of the BJP, its political arm.

Apart from Bhagwat, his number two and RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale will be at the gathering, as will joint general secretary Arun Kumar, the liaison and synergy man with the BJP.

BJP national general secretary (organisation) B.L. Santosh and joint general secretary Shiv Prakash — men the RSS has “loaned” to the BJP to act as a bridge between the two outfits — too are likely to participate in the meeting.

One imminent cause of friction between the RSS the BJP could be the appointment of the next BJP president. J.P. Nadda’s term as party chief expired in January last year but he has been continuing on extension till a successor is elected by early next year.

Insiders said the RSS leadership could, on the sidelines of the three-day meeting, deliberate on the next BJP chief. Indications are that it might ask to have a leader of its choice in the post rather than a “rubber stamp of Modi-Shah”.

The upcoming Assembly elections in Maharashtra, Haryana, Jharkhand and, possibly, Jammu and Kashmir are likely to be another topic of discussion. Particularly so, since the results could shape the future of Modi’s third government, which is dependent on ally support for stability.

In Jharkhand, where the conclave is being held, the BJP lost all the five Lok Sabha seats reserved for the Scheduled Tribes. This is a matter of grave concern for the RSS given its “decades of work” among the tribal communities in an effort to bring them under the wider Hindutva umbrella.