At a recent meeting at the state office, the VHP welcomed the newly-formed government and asked workers to get back to their organisational works with the feeling of “Hindva Sahodara” (Hindu brotherhood).

While the VHP did not make any effort to hide its displeasure with Modi, it never overtly mobilised people against the Modi government the way the sadhus did.

The anti-Modi fervour reached such a crescendo that former VHP general secretary Dr Jaydeep Patel had to move out of VHP and float the Rashtriya Nagrik Manch. Elsewhere, Acharya Dharmendra — a fiery speaker and an ardent Modi supporter who addressed myriad public meetings from the same platform — had invoked the wrath of Swami Shivanand Maharaj, one of the members of “Sant Kendriya Marg Darshak Mandal” of the VHP. Swami Shivanand Maharaj made a public statement banishing Acharya Dharmendra from the Mandal, saying that the VHP will back candidates with a Hindu bent of mind rather than BJP, clearly indicating their choice for Congress candidates.

State executive president of the VHP, Dilip Trivedi, has now told Newsline that there were no differences with the BJP. The sadhus made statements in their personal capacity and it should be left at that, he said.

Avichaldas from Sarsa, another vocal critic of Modi, also did a similar volte-face. He was one of the principal organisers of the meeting of sadhus at Amreli on October 22 to engineer Modi’s ouster. But he reached the swearing-in ceremony to bless Modi after his electoral victory.

“I did not engage in any anti- Modi activity after the meeting in Amreli,” said Avhichladas, adding that he was invited for the swearing-in and he went to bless the Chief Minister. “Anyway, our opposition was on principle, and he (Modi) has accepted our demands. The BJP has extended all support to Ramsetu. We don’t have any grievances now,” he said.