Change inevitable, RSS chief tells BJP

At a time when the BJP is witnessing a struggle over generational shift, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Monday exhorted people to accept ''parivartan'' (change) but emphasised that it should be ''beneficial'' for all.

At a programme organised in the capital to relaunch RSS mouthpieces “Panchjanya” and “Organiser”,  sarsanghchalak Bhagwat said “Parivartan aparivartanye niyam hai (only change is constant)”. 

BJP patriarch L K Advani, who leads the party’s old guard that is facing heat since his pupil-turned-competitor Narendra Modi became prime ministerial candidate, was seated on the front row of the packed City Centre conference hall.

Bhagwat, along with Indian Express Group chairperson Vivek Goenka, were chief guests at the function and shared the dais with “Panchjanya” editor Hitesh Shankar and Organiser editor Prafulla Ketkar. Both the mouthpieces will now hit the stand in magazine formats, shedding their tabloid form in which they came out for around 66 years.

Bhagwat also said that “matbhed” (difference of opinion) can be accepted but not “manbhed” (difference in hearts), perhaps, sending an indirect message to the BJP leaders fighting among themselves. He was of the view that the objective of change should not be lost.