Dattatreya 'Dattaji' Hosabale elected RSS General Secretary

Karnataka-born Dattatreya Hosabale was elected Saturday as the Sarkaryavah (general secretary) of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the BJP’s ideological parent.

Hosabale, 66, is now second in the RSS hierarchy after Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat.

His elevation, due for several years now, was confirmed at the Akhila Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha, the highest decision-making body of the RSS, which concluded its 2-day meeting here.

Hosabale, who was the Sah Sarkaryavah since 2009, replaces Suresh ‘Bhaiyyaji’ Joshi, who was Sarkaryavah for 12 years. The Sarkaryavah has a 3-year term.

Considered to be close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Hosabale's appointment could redefine the Sangh's political relationship with the ruling BJP. Hosabale is known to have played a key role in the BJP's massive win in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.

Born December 1, 1954 in the Hosabale village of Soraba in Shivamogga, he joined the RSS in 1968 and the Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in 1972. He completed his BA (honours) degree in English at the Government Arts & Science College in Bengaluru in 1974.

The next year, he enrolled for an MA English degree, but dropped out to join the anti-Emergency movement launched by Jayaprakash Narayan. He went back to college in 1977 to complete postgraduation.

It is said that it was Hosabale, a youth activist then, who was the first to inform the likes of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani, SN Mishra and Madhu Dandavate about the imposition of the Emergency while they were in a meeting in Bengaluru on the morning of June 26, 1975. He was imprisoned in December that year, apparently.

After spending years in the ABVP, Hosabale became the RSS Akhila Bharata Sah Boudhik Pramukh in 2003.

An avid reader - he put out a list of 15 must-read books during last year's Covid-19 lockdown - Hosabale is seen as a ‘moderate’ voice in the Sangh. He is the founding editor of the Kannada magazine Aseema.

While Hosabale has risen in the RSS ranks, another Kannadiga BL Santhosh is currently the BJP national general secretary (organization), second after national president JP Nadda.

Before Hosabale, two other Kannadigas occupied the powerful post of RSS Sarkaryavah - HV Seshadri and KS Sudarshan.