As Yogi and Akhilesh set election agenda, UP ready for mandal vs kamandal part 2
Subhash Mishra | TNN | Updated: Mar 20, 2019, 11:21 ISTHighlights
- The SP-BSP-RLD alliance will launch its campaign on April 7 from Deoband while Yogi chose the famous Hindu shrine in the same district from March 24.
- “BJP has compelled me to display my OBC credentials on my badge,” Akhilesh Yadav said.
LUCKNOW: With chief minister Yogi Adityanath set to kick-start his campaign for the prestigious parliamentary elections from Shakumbhari Devi Mandir in Saharanpur and the alliance troika of Mayawati, Akhilesh and Ajit Singh to hold a joint rally from Muslim-dominated Deoband in the same district, the stage is set for kamandal versus mandal part 2.
Before he begins his campaign, Yogi stirred controversy over alleged migration of Hindus from Kairana after communal backlash, despite a home ministry denial of an exodus.
In the assembly elections in the three Hindi heartland states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, Yogi had given a communal tone to campaign speeches by saying, “Ali tum rakhe raho, humare paas Bajrang bali hai (Let Opposition be happy with Muslims, Hindus are blessed with Lord Hanuman).
The SP-BSP-RLD alliance will launch its campaign on April 7 from Deoband, which houses one of Asia’s largest Islamic seminary, while Yogi chose the famous Hindu shrine in the same district from March 24. Unlike last elections, when he largely spoke about expressways, metros and medical colleges, this time SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has countered BJP by saying he found the glue to unite people — caste . “BJP has compelled me to display my OBC credentials on my badge,” he said. Akhilesh went further by saying “if Modi is chaiwala, I am a doodhwala (Yadav by caste) to sharpen his OBC consolidation. To turn the contest into Pachchasi (85% population comprising OBCs, Dalits and Muslims) versus “pandrah (15% upper castes comprising Brahmins, Rajputs and others), Akhilesh cleverly tied up with BSP to expand the social base further conceded seats for the Rashtriya Lok Dal.
In 1993, when SP and BSP came together, they succeeded in halting the march of the saffron force, riding the crest of the temple movement in wake of the Babri demolition and formed its coalition government even though both parties were in their nascent stage. In the last 26 years, they came to power in rotation, barring few years for BJP. With Muslims solidly behind the SP-BSP-RLD alliance, consolidating forces of social justice, the BJP strategy in campaigning is to polarise voters on the kamandal line, as was manifested by chief minister Yogi Adityanath in his recent utterances, setting the battle of 2019 as Mandal versus Kamandal part II, at least in Uttar Pradesh.
Before he begins his campaign, Yogi stirred controversy over alleged migration of Hindus from Kairana after communal backlash, despite a home ministry denial of an exodus.
In the assembly elections in the three Hindi heartland states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, Yogi had given a communal tone to campaign speeches by saying, “Ali tum rakhe raho, humare paas Bajrang bali hai (Let Opposition be happy with Muslims, Hindus are blessed with Lord Hanuman).
The SP-BSP-RLD alliance will launch its campaign on April 7 from Deoband, which houses one of Asia’s largest Islamic seminary, while Yogi chose the famous Hindu shrine in the same district from March 24. Unlike last elections, when he largely spoke about expressways, metros and medical colleges, this time SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has countered BJP by saying he found the glue to unite people — caste . “BJP has compelled me to display my OBC credentials on my badge,” he said. Akhilesh went further by saying “if Modi is chaiwala, I am a doodhwala (Yadav by caste) to sharpen his OBC consolidation. To turn the contest into Pachchasi (85% population comprising OBCs, Dalits and Muslims) versus “pandrah (15% upper castes comprising Brahmins, Rajputs and others), Akhilesh cleverly tied up with BSP to expand the social base further conceded seats for the Rashtriya Lok Dal.
In 1993, when SP and BSP came together, they succeeded in halting the march of the saffron force, riding the crest of the temple movement in wake of the Babri demolition and formed its coalition government even though both parties were in their nascent stage. In the last 26 years, they came to power in rotation, barring few years for BJP. With Muslims solidly behind the SP-BSP-RLD alliance, consolidating forces of social justice, the BJP strategy in campaigning is to polarise voters on the kamandal line, as was manifested by chief minister Yogi Adityanath in his recent utterances, setting the battle of 2019 as Mandal versus Kamandal part II, at least in Uttar Pradesh.
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