Bengaluru: Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked the Congress for allegedly insulting Lord Hanuman in its election manifesto for the Karnataka meeting elections scheduled for 10 Might, the Bharatiya Janata Get together (BJP) has stepped up its effort to nook the Congress within the state.
The BJP Wednesday introduced that it has instructed its cadre to assemble in temples throughout Karnataka Thursday night to recite the Hanuman Chalisa.
The Congress, in its election manifesto, had in contrast Hindutva group Bajrang dal to banned Islamist organisation Fashionable Entrance of India (PFI). Alleging that such outfits “promoted enmity” amongst communities, the celebration promised decisive motion, together with imposing a ban, on it.
Bajrang Dal, the youth wing of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), has reportedly been roped in by the BJP to organise the Hanuman Chalisa paatth throughout Karnataka. The outfit has a substantial presence in Karnataka’s coastal and Malnad areas.
Saying the BJP’s plan, Union minister and convenor of the Karnataka election administration committee Shobha Karandlaje informed the media, “Sonia and Rahul (Gandhi) ought to reply why Congress celebration has abused Bajrang Bali. The Congress is doing appeasement politics for the Muslim vote. That’s the monitor report of the Congress celebration. They’ve abused Ram previously and now they’re abusing Hanuman.”
Addressing a BJP rally Tuesday in Karnataka’s Vijayanagara district, PM Modi had stated, “The Congress had earlier locked up Lord Ram and now it needs to lock up those that chant ‘Jai Bajrang Bali’.”
The subsequent day, to additional galvanise celebration cadre, Modi chanted “Jai Bajrang Bali” throughout all three public conferences he addressed throughout Karnataka, together with a name of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”.
Throughout one rally, he additionally requested the individuals to point out their assist by flashing the torch on their telephones and stated, “Please forged your vote and don’t neglect to chant ‘Jai Bajrang Bali’ whenever you train your proper to vote.”
Talking to ThePrint, Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar stated, “It was the Congress which introduced up the problem of ‘Bajrang Bali’ by promising a ban on Bajrang Dal. How will you evaluate PFI with Bajrang Dal? The Congress is on the lookout for minority vote by appeasement politics. It was a Congress chief who had cried after the Batla encounter, now they need to humiliate Bajrangis.”
Through the Batla Home encounter of 2008, the Delhi Police had carried out an armed operation, throughout which members of terror outfit Indian Mujahideen had been killed. In response to media reviews, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had allegedly “cried bitterly” upon seeing pictures of the slain terrorists.
Congress, in its response to Modi’s speech, stated Lord Hanuman and Bajrang Dal can’t be equated.
“Lord Hanuman depicts piousness, Lord Hanuman depicts dedication to reverence & obligation, Lord Hanuman symbolises service and sacrifice,” stated Randeep Surjewala, Congress common secretary in-charge for Karnataka, in response to reviews. “To check Lord Hanuman with any particular person or organisation is an insult and the PM is hurting the emotions and sentiments of thousands and thousands of devotees of Hanuman ji.”
Additionally Learn: In Karnataka, it’s a battle of Congress’s notion administration versus BJP’s micro-management
‘Congress doing appeasement politics’
Nevertheless, confronted with anti-incumbency within the state, the BJP appears to be utilizing the problem to consolidate its Hindu vote base. And, taking their cue from Modi, BJP leaders are persevering with to assault the Congress.
“Through the Congress regime, on Sonia Gandhi’s instruction, it was stated that the Ramayana is fictional, that Ram doesn’t exist. The identical celebration which didn’t settle for Ram’s existence now needs to humiliate Bajrang Bali.… They’re making each effort (to avoid wasting the PFI). It’s the peak of appeasement politics,” BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra informed media individuals.
The phrase ‘saffron terror’ was coined by Sonia Gandhi and the Congress, he stated, including that saffron robe-wearing individuals have been branded as terrorists. “Now, they need to jail those that are followers of Bajrang Bali,” he added.
The central authorities had final 12 months banned the PFI and its associates for 5 years, for its alleged hyperlinks with “world terror organisations”.
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed that the Congress’ manifesto appeared prefer it had been “propagated by the PFI”.
Furthermore, the BJP was joined by the VHP in its assault on the Congress. In a video assertion posted on Twitter, VHP worldwide joint common secretary Surendra Jain stated: “The Bajrang Dal is an organisation devoted selflessly in direction of the reason for nationwide curiosity and social curiosity.… (Our) proud staff have been obstructing the enlargement of Islamist extremism.”
PM Modi, in the meantime, continued his assault on the Congress for “supporting terrorism”.
“Individuals of Karnataka mustn’t neglect the historical past of Congress… It has all the time inspired terrorism. They’ve all the time been sympathetic in direction of terror and terrorists,” he stated.
In Chitradurga Tuesday, Modi reminded the crowds how the Congress had questioned the surgical strike that befell in 2019 and “raised questions on the capabilities of defence forces”.
Later, a senior BJP chief from Karnataka informed ThePrint that the Congress had carried out “an personal objective” by mentioning the Bajrang Dal in its manifesto.
“…there are a variety of cases to point out the Congress’ anti-Hindu stand…. The Congress authorities in the course of the Ram Setu listening to, stated the Ramayana is fictional…They questioned Ram’s existence…,” the chief stated.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
Additionally Learn: Class issues in Karnataka – Eedina’s pre-poll survey on voting patterns reveals