Why Congress is taking soft Hindutva stand ahead of Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections
Will the strategy pay off?
The joke in Madhya Pradesh where Assembly elections are due in two months is that it has become increasingly hard to distinguish a Congress-organised function from the one held by the BJP, mainly because there is an equal amount of majority community symbolism in both of them.
While a lot has been written about the various announcements from the Congress camp, pertaining to establishment of gaushalas in all panchayats, and Rahul Gandhi being described as Shiv Bhakt, Kamal Nath as Hanuman Bhakt — what with the 101-feet tall Hanuman Idol established by him in Chhindwara and Digvijaya Singh’s Narmada Parikrama — what really does the Congress plan to achieve by pushing its own brand of Hindutva?
Officially, Kamal Nath says that the BJP doesn’t have a copyright on Hinduism, it’s his religion too, and he is free to practise it.
So, does the Congress think it will effect a change of heart in the right-wing Hindu who will then shift to it?
No, Congressmen are not that naïve.
'ये घोषणा नहीं,वचन है'वचन,मध्यप्रदेश के विकास का...मध्यप्रदेश में कांग्रेस की सरकार बनते ही हम "राम वन गमन पथ" का निर्माण करेंगे।#वक़्त_है_बदलाव_का pic.twitter.com/E69LPqWftS
— Office Of Kamal Nath (@OfficeOfKNath) September 20, 2018
The public-practising of the Hindu religion by Congress leaders has a common minimum objective, so to speak, which aims at ensuring that one: its existing voters do not migrate to the BJP perceiving them to be anti-Hindu as alleged by the BJP.
Two: that the religious indifference conveyed by Congress leaders earlier does not become a debilitating factor for voters who were earlier with the Congress and shifted to the BJP but intend to return to Congress.
The organising of bhandaras or religious feasts, associated mostly with BJP leaders, is now a staple Congress fare — as are lavish donations to Ganesh and Durga pandals.
Now, the more important question is, will the strategy pay off?
It could, as was the case in the Gujarat elections where Rahul Gandhi began every campaign with a temple visit.
The factors that will, however, necessitate a shift of votes will not be religiosity on display, but more of economic reasons, unemployment and rising prices.
The Congress feels that with all things remaining equal, its lacking of Hindu credentials should not come in the way of votes moving to it.
Interestingly, there has not been a single visit to a mosque or to even a sufi shrine or a Muslim community function by Congress leaders lately.
It was left to PM Modi who called on the Syedna — the spiritual head of the Dawoodi Bohras to do that. The Congress feels that the nearly 6.5 per cent Muslims in MP will stand by it and ‘understand’ the need for this display of religiosity. For all you know, the Congress will, in this election, shed the minority-oriented tokenism, practised by it for years — of giving tickets to a certain number of Muslims, even if they cannot win.
With the Congress maintaining a distance and the BJP reaching out, is it wise for the Congress to take Muslim support for granted?
(Courtesy of Mail Today)