Krishna Gopal may become RSS pointsman to BJP

NEW DELHI: With BJP coming to power, the long due changes in RSS may also be effected soon with Joint General Secretary Krishna Gopal likely to take over as the pointsman between the Sangh and the party, a role played by Suresh Soni till now.

Soni, also a joint general secretary, may shoulder other responsibilities and hand over his job to Gopal, sources said. “Soni has been handling the job of pointsman for a long time now. Krishna Gopal and Dattatreya Hosabale have shared some of his burden in the recent past. Gopal may now step into Soni’s shoes,” a source said.

There was some resentment in a section of BJP over Soni’s decisions which benefitted a particular group of leaders, leaving others dissatisfied. Veteran BJP leader LK Advani has been opposed to Soni’s continuance for the past several months.

The rising graph of Gopal, an intellectual and a Ph.D. holder, was visible when he was given the charge of UP and Uttarakhand a few months before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The impressive performance of BJP in both these states has further reinforced the view that Gopal should replace Soni.

However, sources said Hosabale has also been entrusted with the role of pointsman between RSS and BJP to help out Soni in the past.

This makes him a contender for this position as well though most consider Gopal as the likely RSS leader to assume this role in future.

Meanwhile, reports that BJP General Secretary (Organisation) Ramlal may be replaced soon may not be true. Ramlal, the RSS representative in BJP, is actively involved in the party’s preparations for the forthcoming assembly polls.