No rift with BJP over Kiran Bedi : RSS

New Delhi, The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) today publically trashed the speculations about differences with the BJP over Kiran Bedi’s high-profile entry into the party and her apparent projection as its face for the Delhi Assembly elections — an indication of the degree of backing the former cop is receiving from the highest echelons of the saffron outfit.In a tweet, the RSS said: “News about Dr Bhagwatji disapproving Kiran Bedi’s entry to the BJP is baseless. It’s an evil design to show a rift between the RSS and the government. Dr M Vaidya (Manmohan Vaidya)”.But as they say, there cannot be smoke without fire. In the BJP Delhi unit’s case, there is a noticeable unrest among more than half-a-dozen chief ministerial candidates, each one of them claiming to have a “solid backing” from the RSS.The BJP’s top leadership specifically roped in Bedi — an anti-corruption crusader — to counter Arvind Kejriwal, her former co-crusader from Team Anna. The fact that she was inducted in the presence of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and party president Amit Shah after she had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks volumes about the backing she has from the top leadership. In fact, Bedi is the only candidate to have been officially announced by the party so far and that too by its president.Ever since it swept to the power under Modi, the BJP’s strategy for Assembly elections has been clear. As it also happened in Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand, the saffron party approached the elections with the Prime Minister as its face and in the lead. After winning the elections, a CM candidate was finalised with the blessings of the RSS.In the case of Delhi, there seems to be a subtle, though distinct, change in this strategy which has rattled all those who hoped the tide to turn in their favour after the polls. They include leaders like Harsh Vardhan, Vijendra Gupta, Vijay Goel, Satish Upadhyay and Meenakshi Lekhi.Though there has been no official word that Bedi will be Delhi’s CM if the BJP comes to power but her statements have indicated that she has been sounded for the top job. Bedi too has been quite oepn in outlining her agenda for Delhi.The day she joined BJP she almost declared herself as the most suitable candidate on account of her “40-years of administrative experience”.