FOR the Jana Sangh and the BJP, the RSS has almost been an elixir of life. And the occasional banner of revolts against the RSS have only resulted in political setbacks for the rebels.
Jana Sanghs founder president Shyama Prasad Mukherjees plea for the involvement of RSS pracharaks in the party was accepted by the Sangh. But his successor, Mauli Chandra Sharma's insistence for an RSS-free working committee resulted in his ouster.
Balraj Madhoks opposition to RSS control over the Jana Sangh resulted in his one-time favourite, L.K. Advani, moving a resolution for his ouster in 1973.
The Jana Sangh exited from the Janata Party in April 1980 to form the BJP. A.B. Vajpayees brief fliration with Gandhian socialism in 1984 irked the Sangh and worked to the Congress advantage. But soon enough the BJP accepted its folly and gave in to Nagpurs diktat.
In 1991, the Sangh managed to force the BJP to accept its swadeshi line, but the BJP kept oscillating between this and its initial support for liberalisation.
The demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992 was a turning point of sorts. The post-demolition phase has seen a massive inflow of members into the BJP from non-RSS backgrounds, setting off the process of challenge to the Sangh authority over the BJP.
