By Surendra P Gangan
MUMBAI: The BJP and its ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), have taken a definitive step towards making sure that government policies and decisions reflect the party’s ideology in Maharashtra. It has decided to appoint Personal Assistants (PAs) across government departments led by BJP ministers, to tighten its grip on policy and decision-making.
These PAs will be drawn from the RSS and its affiliate organisations. They will be tasked with ensuring “better coordination between the party and the government”, a step that underscores the BJP’s intent to align governance with its ideological vision.
The decision to appoint PAs was taken during a brainstorming session between the RSS and BJP ministers in Maharashtra at the weekend. State BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said in a statement that the party has appointed Sudhir Deulgaonkar as chief coordinator between the government and the party. Deulgaonkar is officer on special duty in Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari’s ministry, and was the BJP’s election coordinator during the Lok Sabha and assembly elections last year.
The BJP leadership has had a tradition of appointing RSS workers in governments ruled by the party but this is the first time a BJP-led state government has institutionalised the system. The state government last week, in fact, amended its rules relating to the appointment of non-government employees in the office of ministers, increasing the number of such appointments from two to four.
This was followed by a list of PAs and Officers on Special Duty being assigned to ministers and approved by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis last week. The list included a handful of RSS workers in various government departments.
Deulgaonkar said, “The idea is to ensure better coordination between party and government, to build confidence among party workers and the people that it is our government. BJP ministers will hold a Janata Darbar once a week or fortnight at the party office, to meet workers who do not have easy access to Mantralaya.”
This story was originally published in hindustantimes.com. Read the full story here.
