M A I N   N E W S

Bhagwat new RSS Gen Secy

NAGPUR, March 12 (UNI, PTI) — In a major reshuffle in its hierarchy, Mr Mohan Bhagwat was today made the RSS General Secretary to replace Mr H.V. Sheshadri who was demoted to the rank of Joint General Secretary.

Informing this at a press conference today, Mr Mohandas Devi, who was retained as another Joint General Secretary of the organisation, said Mr Bhagwat was unanimously nominated to the post in the Pratinidhi Sabha which concluded here today.

The new committee will function for the next three years.

Mr Sheshadri had reportedly expressed his inability to continue in the post due to deteriorating health.

The Pratinidhi Sabha nominated RSS veterans, Rajendra Singh, alias Rajjua Bhaiyya, Moropant Pingle, Suryanarayan Rao, Baburao Vaidya and Vishwanathji as special invitees.

Signalling further hardening of stand towards Vajpayee government’s economic policies, the new RSS leadership today declared that it would oppose steps taken by the Centre in keeping with treaties of WTO and such other bodies if these were against the interest of the nation.

RSS General Secretary Mohan Bhagwat told reporters here that if the Vajpayee government adopted “anti-national” policies in enforcing the treaties committed to by India, the RSS would certainly oppose them.

Mr Bhagwat, however, said the Vajpayee government had no option but to honour commitment of previous governments to these international trade bodies. To a question, Mr Bhagwat said he disagreed that the Vajpayee government was being influenced by the WTO or the IMF.

NEW DELHI: Meanwhile, the BJP on Sunday termed as “impractical” the RSS demand for scrapping of the Constitution and sought to dismiss suggestions that the Sangh’s criticism of the Vajpayee government’s economic policies would strain relation between them.

BJP Vice-President J.P. Mathur told reporters here that scrapping of the Constitution “does not seem practicable under the present circumstances.”

Party General Secretary Narendra Modi, when asked to comment on the RSS’ critical remarks about the NDA government’s economic policies, said these did not give any impression of any dichotomy between the BJP and the Sangh.