He replaced Suresh ‘Bhaiyyaji’ Joshi, 73, who chose to retire for health reasons after serving four terms of three years each.
With his ‘pragmatic’ perspective, the 66-year-old Hosabale, popularly known as ‘Dattaji’ in the RSS, is expected to facilitate better coordination with the BJP leadership during his tenure, which will overlap with the crucial step up to the elections of 2024 LS. He comes from a small village in the Shivamogga district of Karnataka and is from a family associated with Sangh Parivar.
In his first comments after assuming the post of second RSS official, Hosabale launched a strong defense of the controversial ‘love jehad’ laws enacted by BJP governments in the states.
Another key change made at the meeting of Akhil Bhartiya Pratinidhi Sabha, the highest decision-making body of the Sangh, was the elevation of Arun kumar and Ramdutt Chakradhar as Sah Karyawah or deputy general secretaries. With this, there will be five deputy general secretaries. Krishna Gopal, CR Mukunda and Manmohan Vaidya are the other joint general secretaries.
Sunil Ambekar, who not long ago headed BJP’s ABVP student wing, will be the new prachar pramukh in place of Arun Kumar. The appointment of Ram Lal as Mumbai-based All India Sampark Pramukh was another important decision.
The Sangh also recalled the former secretary general of the BJP Ram Madhav and included him in the national executive.
A powerful speaker, the scholar Hosabale is the second from Karnataka, after HV Sheshadri of Bengaluru, to occupy this superior position, which is second only to that of chief. Mohan bhagwat. Significantly, BL Santhosh, also from Karnataka, is second in the BJP hierarchy after National President JP Nadda.
Hosabale is currently based in Lucknow and handles the BJP-RSS coordination. Now, you are tasked with coordinating over 30 affiliate teams, including BJP, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh.
Joshi was known to stay away from the day-to-day affairs of BJP, but that may change now. “Dattaji has a good working relationship with the BJP leadership, especially with the PM Narendra modi as it had played a key role in the last two Lok Sabha elections and also in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections in 2017. It moved its base to Lucknow a year before the elections, ”said a senior RSS official. He is considered to have a good relationship with the Interior Minister. Amit shah as well.
Hosabale’s name was proposed by Gujarat’s Ashok Sohoney regional sanghchalak and endorsed by five other delegates. His name for the position has been circulating since 2015.
The elevation of Hosabale is seen as part of Sangh’s expansion plans south of Vindhyas, ahead of the 2024 general election and the big RSS celebrations in its 2025 centennial year, according to Sangh informants.
“Hosabale, a joint secretary general since 2009, will drive RSS growth in states where BJP seeks to gain a foothold by working closely with Modi and Shah,” said another RSS official.
.
