NEW DELHI: Madhya Pradesh is likely to witness an unprecedented involvement of Hindutva politics by the main opposition Congress in the assembly election likely to be held later this year. The party seems to be preparing to woo the majority Hindu community ahead of the election.
A preview to the Congress’s plan to play more than soft Hindutva was on display in party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s visit to Madhya Pradesh’s “sanskar-dhaani” (cultural capital) for sounding the poll bugle on June 12.
While Hindus constitute about 91% of Madhya Pradesh’s population, Muslims are close to 7%, according to the 2011 census.
The Nehru-Gandhi family scion’s visit to Jabalpur came just two days after chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan released the first instalment of Rs 1,000 per month each to about 125 crore women of Madhya Pradesh under his government’s Mukhya Mantri Ladli Behna Yojana in the city itself which houses the state’s high court headquarters.
Priyanka’s visit to Jabalpur, which is also called the capital of Madhya Pradesh’s Mahakoshal region, was replete with religious symbolism linked to Hindutva.
The first thing Priyanka did after landing at Jabalpur was to visit the banks of the holy Narmada river, which is highly revered and worshipped by the majority community of the state. The people chant ‘Narmada Maiyya ki jai’ and ‘Har har Narmadey’ at the sight of the river.
The Congress leader took part in Narmada ‘pujan’ with 101 priests. She performed ‘aarti’ along with top state leaders such as state party president and former chief minister Kamal Nath and Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha, who hails from the city.
A man dressed as Lord Hanuman also stood near the top leaders standing in the front row.
Talking to TOI, Madhya Pradesh Congress vice-president JP Dhanopia, said Hindutva will play an important role in the forthcoming assembly election. “We accept Hinduism by heart and mind. Religion will play an important role in the forthcoming assembly election. This can be gauged from the fact that Priyanka ji started her election campaign by worshipping on the banks of Narmada ji.”
A huge ‘gadaa’ (mace), the weapon of Lord Hanuman, was placed at the venue where Priyanka reached for a public rally. The mace was rotating on a platform and was the cynosure of the audience who had come from far and wide.
The symbolism of Hindutva could not have been starker when five Hindu priests blew conches on the stage to symbolically declare the sounding of the poll bugle. Conches are intricately linked with Hindu auspicious occasions.
The number of priests – 101 on the banks of Narmada river and five on stage – also holds importance for Hindu religious beliefs.
In another religious symbolism, a ‘gadaa’ was presented to Kamal Nath by party leaders before he and Priyanka delivered their speeches.
Jabalpur MLA and former state finance minister Tarun Bhanot, who was compering the event, announced how staunch Hanuman ‘bhakt’ (devotee) Kamal Nath was. He said the former CM had built a huge statue of Lord Hanuman in his constituency of Chhindwara.
Bhanot said, “After getting blessings of Lord Hanuman in Karnataka, the ‘gadaa’ has arrived in Jabalpur and is being presented to Kamal Nath ji.”
Kamal Nath began his speech by chanting “Narmada Maiyya ki jai”. He indicated how religious Priyanka was. “When I invited Priyanka ji, she refused to come. When I asked the reason behind her denial, she said she would come only when she would first worship Narmada,” he said in his speech.
On her part, Priyanka commenced her speech by chanting “Har Har Narmadey” and “Narmada Maiyya ki jai”.
While the Congress has embarked on the MP election campaign with a religious overtone, the BJP which is known to be a rightist Hindutva party, is yet to reveal its plans. However, the initial developments indicate that the upcoming election is likely to become religion-centric in most likelihood.
A preview to the Congress’s plan to play more than soft Hindutva was on display in party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s visit to Madhya Pradesh’s “sanskar-dhaani” (cultural capital) for sounding the poll bugle on June 12.
While Hindus constitute about 91% of Madhya Pradesh’s population, Muslims are close to 7%, according to the 2011 census.
The Nehru-Gandhi family scion’s visit to Jabalpur came just two days after chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan released the first instalment of Rs 1,000 per month each to about 125 crore women of Madhya Pradesh under his government’s Mukhya Mantri Ladli Behna Yojana in the city itself which houses the state’s high court headquarters.
Priyanka’s visit to Jabalpur, which is also called the capital of Madhya Pradesh’s Mahakoshal region, was replete with religious symbolism linked to Hindutva.
The first thing Priyanka did after landing at Jabalpur was to visit the banks of the holy Narmada river, which is highly revered and worshipped by the majority community of the state. The people chant ‘Narmada Maiyya ki jai’ and ‘Har har Narmadey’ at the sight of the river.
The Congress leader took part in Narmada ‘pujan’ with 101 priests. She performed ‘aarti’ along with top state leaders such as state party president and former chief minister Kamal Nath and Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha, who hails from the city.
A man dressed as Lord Hanuman also stood near the top leaders standing in the front row.
Talking to TOI, Madhya Pradesh Congress vice-president JP Dhanopia, said Hindutva will play an important role in the forthcoming assembly election. “We accept Hinduism by heart and mind. Religion will play an important role in the forthcoming assembly election. This can be gauged from the fact that Priyanka ji started her election campaign by worshipping on the banks of Narmada ji.”
A huge ‘gadaa’ (mace), the weapon of Lord Hanuman, was placed at the venue where Priyanka reached for a public rally. The mace was rotating on a platform and was the cynosure of the audience who had come from far and wide.
The symbolism of Hindutva could not have been starker when five Hindu priests blew conches on the stage to symbolically declare the sounding of the poll bugle. Conches are intricately linked with Hindu auspicious occasions.
The number of priests – 101 on the banks of Narmada river and five on stage – also holds importance for Hindu religious beliefs.
In another religious symbolism, a ‘gadaa’ was presented to Kamal Nath by party leaders before he and Priyanka delivered their speeches.
Jabalpur MLA and former state finance minister Tarun Bhanot, who was compering the event, announced how staunch Hanuman ‘bhakt’ (devotee) Kamal Nath was. He said the former CM had built a huge statue of Lord Hanuman in his constituency of Chhindwara.
Bhanot said, “After getting blessings of Lord Hanuman in Karnataka, the ‘gadaa’ has arrived in Jabalpur and is being presented to Kamal Nath ji.”
Kamal Nath began his speech by chanting “Narmada Maiyya ki jai”. He indicated how religious Priyanka was. “When I invited Priyanka ji, she refused to come. When I asked the reason behind her denial, she said she would come only when she would first worship Narmada,” he said in his speech.
On her part, Priyanka commenced her speech by chanting “Har Har Narmadey” and “Narmada Maiyya ki jai”.
While the Congress has embarked on the MP election campaign with a religious overtone, the BJP which is known to be a rightist Hindutva party, is yet to reveal its plans. However, the initial developments indicate that the upcoming election is likely to become religion-centric in most likelihood.
