Recently, the RSS chief visited Deolekar's home in Khar, a western suburb of Mumbai, to consult on ways of celebrating RSS founder Madhav Sadashiv Golvalkar's centenary anniversary, which began on December 11. Today, Deolekar is in pain because he sees the "vichar shakti [ideological strength]" behind the birth of the BJP fading before his eyes. As India's main Opposition party celebrates 25 years of its existence, rediff.com revisits an old BJP man who is of no use to the party. Over to him: In 1980, we were all in the Janata Party. I was its public relations officer in Mumbai. On the issue of dual membership, the Jana Sangh constituent of the Janata party decided to break away. Socialist members of the Janata Party wanted Jana Sangh members to completely disassociate themselves from the RSS. Their idea was that once the Jana Sangh severs ties with the RSS, it would also lose grassroot support and be at the mercy of socialists. But RSS leaders, BJP leaders and workers of the Sangh Parivar -- everyone -- thought it was time to break away because the Janata Party had no future. The ethos behind founding the BJP was the RSS ideology of Hindutva.
