.. Over the Gujarat government's decision to allow enrolment of government employees in the RS$ ... Advani typically took refuge in officialese: There was no constitutional provision by which the Centre could intervene in the decisions of .. State. He then ... launched a fierce defence of the RSS ... In fact, saw shades of 1979  in the current attack on the RSS ....

Advani is protesting far too much. The dual membership issue went against the Jan Sangh, a party whose commitment to the RSS was complete. The BJP that is currently in government, we have been repeatedly assured, is mint fresh and different: It is reasonable,  pragmatic and more than willing to bypass the RSS on all contentious issues. For proof, we need only look at the national agenda of governance drawn up by the different constituents of the NDA. Why then does a BJP stalwart like Advani see a comparison between 1979 and now?

Could it be that the BJP is, in fact, the old Jan Sangh in new clothes? It might seem so going by the many instances of Sangh Parivar-inspired vandalism that we have recently seen ... The BJP as a political party supports the RSS - and its rampaging affiliates - and acts as a policeman against (foreign) cultural influences ... It is inevitable that this kind of duplicity will turn off more and more people. Some will take to the streets in protest, others will show lukewarm interest in the party ....