BJP’s 2014 win was not one-man show: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat

BHUBANESWAR: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday said the BJP came to power at the Centre because the common man wanted change. Disagreeing with the suggestion that the BJP's victory was solely due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's personal pull, Bhagwat said an individual alone could not have ensured the party's victory.
"Kuchh log bol rahe hain ki party ko safalta mili. Kuch log bol rahe hain ki koi vyakti ke liye jeet mili. Koi vyakti, party ya sangathan ki wajah se yeh parivartan nahin hua. Aam aadmi ne parivartan chaha (some people say the success was due to the party. Some others say it was because of some individuals. Fact is the common man wanted change)," Bhagwat said at an event to mark 'Raksha Bandhan' organized by socio-cultural organization Sanskruti Surakshya Samiti here.

"The same individuals and the party existed earlier also. Why were not they voted to power? It is the people who wanted change and brought the party to power," Bhagwat asserted.

Bhagwat's statements came a day after Modi hailed the new BJP president, Amit Shah, as the "man of the match" for his performance during the elections, and said the Modi government was headed in the "right direction".

Attributing the win to people's yearning for change, Bhagwat said if the people are not happy, they would change this government too in the next general elections. "Political changes have happened earlier because of people. In future too, such change will depend on them," he said.

The RSS sarsanghchalak said there was a time when the ruler decided how the people should be ruled. Now, people decide who would be their ruler. Bhagwat said with changing times, ancient traditions have to change to suit contemporary needs.

Calling for equitable development, the RSS chief said one would be happy only if people around are happy. If some people are deprived, it would give rise to revolt in the future, he said.

Odisha BJP chief KV Singhdeo, present at the event, said, "As Bhagwatji said, people wanted change at the Centre. By projecting the right man for the job of PM, the BJP won people's trust. It was team effort. RSS has stood behind the BJP's decision to project Modi."