He fielded over 40 questions from more than 250 journalists — watched by TV cameras too many to count. Virtually all these questions had to do with the mess in the BJP.

And RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat tackled these questions with variations of just one answer: BJP has to sort out its mess, we are here to advise, not interfere.

This was his fourth press conference after being appointed chief last year — his first in the capital. The RSS top brass were in attendance and spokesperson Ram Madhav played Master of Ceremonies.

Behind Bhagwat’s deceptive nonchalance, the message was there for all to read.

Asked about the state of the BJP, he made it clear that the RSS would “advise the BJP, as swayamsevaks, whenever asked”, admitting that “I have said whatever I had to, to Rajnath Singhji, now it is for the party to decide and do.”

Answering another question: “We have neither the time nor icchha to do what you are calling backseat driving, yeh sab bahut maatha pacchi ka kaam hai...”

He even added helpfully, that when “given a list of 50 names and asked for our advice on who should be the leader, we will give that advice when asked.”

Fiesty and combative, a very political Bhagwat took no obvious potshots at the BJP unlike what his predecessor K Sudershan has done in the past (when he openly hit out at Atal Behari Vajpayee and Advani when the BJP had lost in 2004) nor did Bhagwat shy away from facing the media, like his other predecessors, Rajju Bhaiyya and even the long-serving Balasaheb Deoras.

... contd.