Cong uses ‘Hindutva’ card against BJP

Mangaluru: If one were to hear “Bolo Bharat Mata ki jai” one would naturally presume that a BJP candidate is campaigning in that area. However, things cannot be far from the truth. The Congress has been for the first time using slogans which were earlier in the exclusive purview of the BJP like, ‘’Bolo Bharat Mata ki jai and “Vande Martaram” with alarming regularity in BJP dominated areas, much to the chagrin of the opposition.
That is not all, Congress workers in Dakshina Kannada are also wearing saffron shawls around their shoulders while holding campaigns for their candidates. It is common that candidates of all political parties visit, temples, churches and masjids during the campaign in the coastal district, which is considered as a communally-sensitive region. Congress members are not far behind when it comes to visiting religious shrines. However, recent campaigns of the Congress seem to have given more emphasis to ‘Hindutva’ which was otherwise the mainstay of the BJP. Youth Congress leaders, including district Youth Congress president Mithun Rai and his followers, were seen campaigning for the party in the district.

“No one has given a Hindutva contract to the BJP,” says district Congress Committee president K Harish Kumar. He told TOI that it is not necessary for one to become a member of the BJP to identify himself as a Hindu. “For them, only BJP workers are Hindus. For us, everyone born to Hindu parents are Hindus. We have a large number of Hindus in the Congress too, and we have not given the contract of Hindutva to the BJP. It is true that our party workers too campaign wearing saffron shawls and shout slogans like ‘Bolo Bharat Mata Ki Jai’,” said Harish Kumar.

Mithun Rai said, “The difference between the BJP and Congress is that they are using saffron to create hatred and we are using it for harmony. The colour saffron is not the sole property of the BJP. We have not politicized Hindutva though we are Hindus. I have been using the saffron colour for several years. Our Hindutva is the real Hindutva. The BJP has been using Hindutva only for vote bank politics. We have been using saffron while campaigning to ensure that it should be made a colour of communal harmony. It should not be a tool to divide people.”

BJP district campaign committee in-charge Monappa Bhandary said the Congress is engaged in vote bank politics using saffron. “Till recently they were considering saffron and the Bharat Mata slogan as ‘haram’. However, it’s a shame that now they are using both only for vote bank politics. Now they are not sure about their victory. Hence, they are adopting such crooked strategies. At least now they have shown courage to announce that they are Hindus.”