Modi ki baat: Karnataka BJP banks on PM firepower for final push

BENGALURU: With just over two weeks left for the Karnataka assembly polls, the BJP is getting ready to unleash its most potent weapon: Narendra Modi.
BJP leaders hope their so-far-uninspiring campaign will get an adrenaline rush once Prime Minister Modi, who is known for his oratory, hits the poll trail. But the big question is: Will Modi’s magic wand really work in Karnataka?

The party leaders are optimistic about Modi changing the rules of engagement. “The party’s narrative at the ground-level is clear. The situation will change once Modi steps in, he will definitely turn the tide in the party’s favour,” said BJP national coconvener Sudesh Sharma.

Political analyst Sandeep Shastri said: “Post 2014, all BJP campaigns have revolved around the persona of Modi. In Karnataka too, the pitch has been the central leadership.”

The party has roped in political researchers to pull out as many elements as possible to facilitate Modi to mount a barrage of attacks on Congress. With the PM slated to address his first rally in the state on May 1, BJP sources said Modi’s arsenal will revolve around three issues: accusing Congress of dividing Hindus by playing caste politics; highlighting his government’s development agenda for a New India; and charging CM Siddaramaiah with corruption and nepotism.

However, Congress is undaunted by Modi’s entry into the ring. “I am looking forward to the PM’s thundering speeches on corruption,” Siddaramaiah sarcastically said.

“Modi does not have the mass appeal he had in 2014. By touring the state, he can only provide a welcome distraction from the infighting in the state BJP,” other Congress leaders said.

Modi’s streak of disruptive reforms has turned out to be the punching bag for the Congress in the state. Congress has called him the Godfather of jailed mining baron G Janardhana Reddy, who has occupied the centerstage of BJP politics in the run-up to the polls. “The Modi government has now become the benefactor, protector and defender of the Ballari gang that denuded Karnataka of its rich natural resources,” said AICC spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.

Attacking governments on corruption might work in other states for Modi, but may not find resonance in Karnataka with BJP state chief BS Yeddyurappa and the Ballari group next to him, the Congressmen argue.

BJP claims several changes are being incorporated in its discourse. “Modi’s development agenda will appeal to the millennial voters who are least interested in caste arithmetic of the Congress,” a party leader said.

Another major hurdle could be translation. “This is the big campaign south of the Vindhyas and language is important. Modi has connected with the people in North India and has conveyed his emotions in a language they are familiar with. But can this happen here? Can emotions transcend translations?” Shastri said.