Dhankhar at RSS Dussehra event raises questions over BJP-Sangh ties and Suresh Soni's role

Dussehra has always been a major occasion for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The whole country watches the speech of Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat to gauge the direction he will take. This time too, people expected Bhagwat to say something on the ongoing tussle within the BJP.

The biggest reason for the speculation was that former Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar was present at the event as a guest. Questions are being asked about why the RSS is giving a platform to Dhankhar, who is seen as a threat to senior BJP leaders.

It is also being asked who really holds sway in the BJP: the government, the party organisation, or the RSS leaders with deep reach in both. The issue has returned to discussion after the growing role of Suresh Soni in the BJP and Dhankhar's appearance on the RSS stage.

Are the two linked? Is Soni's growing influence in the BJP making the Sangh uneasy? Was inviting Dhankhar to the stage a strategy to send a political message? To understand the answers, it is necessary to look at the old relationship between the Sangh and the BJP.

Soni is in the top leadership of the RSS. The question is whether he is more active in BJP decisions than before, or whether his influence is a result of long-standing organisational ties. Having leaders with an RSS background in the BJP is nothing new. But how large a role any one person should have in political appointments, organisational changes and mediation between leaders is a separate question. Soni's direct involvement in Madhya Pradesh's political decisions is making him more controversial.

It has been reported that Bhagwat has repeatedly asked Soni to stop interfering in the BJP. The responsibility for coordination between the RSS and the BJP is no longer with him. Even so, Soni is still regarded as the main driving force behind many big BJP decisions.

His name has been mentioned in several matters, from the choice of Madhya Pradesh's chief minister to the denial of a Datia ticket to former Home Minister Narottam Mishra. He was often seen as a coordinator during difficult times for the Madhya Pradesh government. His recent meetings in Chitrakoot and Rewa also drew attention.

On the Sangh's concerns, it is said to be uneasy over Soni getting more importance than warranted. There is an arrangement for coordination between the BJP and the Sangh. Why, then, are decisions being taken as Soni wishes? This raises the question of how much role other Sangh leaders should have in BJP decisions and how the balance of influence in the organisation should be kept. The controversy has intensified after a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Soni at the residence of Minister Piyush Goyal.

Despite being responsible for coordination between the BJP and the Sangh, Soni's excessive interference in the BJP was not liked by the Sangh. He was therefore abruptly removed from the post and quietly sent on study leave.

Dhankhar resigned as Vice-President on 21 July 2025, citing health reasons. The sudden resignation raised many political questions. The biggest reason cited was the displeasure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. Dhankhar also had to bear the consequences: he did not get the farewell a Vice-President should receive on leaving office.

The invitation to Dhankhar for the Vijayadashami event marking the RSS centenary year became a talking point. Was it merely a gesture to honour a former Vice-President? Did the RSS want to underline its separate public identity? Or was there a larger political message behind it, particularly at a time when relations within the BJP are strained? That too is being discussed.

Is the RSS trying to weaken the BJP's top leaders through Dhankhar? In truth, the real question about the RSS-BJP relationship is far bigger than the presence or absence of any one person. It is how the balance of power should be kept in political decisions among the elected leadership, the party organisation and experienced office-bearers with an RSS background.