BJP pounces upon the much-awaited chance to build a ‘polarising’ narrative to queer Congress’ pitch in election slog overs.
NEW DELHI: The Congress, which was supposed to be close to an easy victory in the Karnataka Assembly polls, has landed itself into deep trouble after the party’s manifesto promised to ban the Hindu right-wing “Bajrang Dal”. What appeared to be a “one-sided victory” for the Congress till a week ago is now stuck in the tough contest in the poll slog overs.
The Congress, which had the natural advantage of anti-incumbency against the BJP, has in fact invited trouble for itself. Frustrated over the fresh development, the Congress leaders are trying to find out who added this “controversial promise” in the manifesto. Needless to say, the issue is going to have its bearing on other poll-bound states too.
Moreover, the BJP will link “the Bajrang Bali” issue to its “Ram Mandir” plank and will try to continue the tempo till the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. In a damage control bid, however, Congress’ senior leader D. Shivakumar started assuring to construct Hanuman temples across the state. But the Karnataka elections have taken an interesting turn after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the entire BJP picked up the issue to put it at the centre of the campaign just a week ahead of the polls. PM Modi started and concluded his speeches at three rallies with chants of “Jai Bajrang Bali”. He accused the Congress of aiming to “lock up” Hanuman worshippers after having “locked up Lord Ram”. This is how the Congress manifesto has put a new wind in the BJP’s campaign sail. Obviously, the Congress’ manifesto has given the BJP much-awaited opportunity to build a narrative on this “polarising” issue. The BJP which was earlier on the back foot is more aggressive now. The things were not earlier apparently moving in favour of the BJP even after projecting PM Modi’s face.
Congress leaders in private conversation say that the more the BJP will focus on this issue during campaign the more it will harm the party. In fact, Karnataka state leaders were already apprehensive thinking that the Central leaders might spoil the game. The story in fact began with Congress president Mallikarjuna Kharge using the word “poisonous snake” for PM Modi. Then the word “Nalayak” was used. Now the entry of Bajrang Dal issue is there. Congress is not perhaps willing to learn from its Gujarat experience. It lost the Gujarat polls twice just because of using controversial words like “Maut Ka Saudagar” and “Neech”. The words like “Chaiwalla” and “Chowkidar chor hai” also deprived Congress of a possible victory.
In fact, “Muslim appeasement” politics is considered to be the main reason behind Congress’ defeats in 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The same reason is also behind its shrinking ground in other states. The Antony Committee constituted to look into reasons for Congress defeat in 2014 had recommended that the party needed to stay away from appeasement politics. But Congress did not learn its lessons.
As a result, BJP makes the most of the politics on the Hindutva issues. Experts believe that only “politics of religion” can defeat the “politics of caste and appeasement”. That is why the BJP does not miss any chance to capitalise on Congress’ errors in terms of what concerns the larger Hindu community.
It is repeatedly said that Muslims will vote for the party which will be in a position to defeat BJP. But despite this fact, Congress gets into politics to appease this community. The BJP was apparently on a weak wicket in Karnataka polls, but the Congress’ manifesto promising a ban on Bajrang Dal gave it a chance to consolidate its majority vote bank.
Congress forgot that the Muslim votes are not significant in the other four states which will go to polls after Karnataka. BJP has already started building the same polarising narrative in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Congress should have adopted the strategy of Himachal Pradesh in Karnataka. Local leaders should have been left with all responsibilities. The schemes of Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan should have been used. But sensing an easy win, heavyweights started vying with each other to campaign in the southern state. State leaders were asked to arrange as many rallies of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as possible. An experienced leader like Kharge himself invited controversy. If the Congress managed to somehow touch only the majority mark, then trouble will grow manifold for the party in other states with Maharashtra being one of them. Nobody knows what kind of unpredictable move Sharad Pawar will make in Maharashtra. Congress needs to win Rajasthan, MP and Chhattisgarh if it wants to exercise its authority over allies. The Congress is in a sound position in these three states, but the BJP is on the job, seeking to build a narrative like that of Karnataka.