Lucknow: If you thought the 2019 Lok Sabha elections would be fought by politicians on issues concerning the common citizen, think again! For, the politically-crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, with a population of 220 million people, is all set to see a keen contest of affection for Hindu gods in the mother of all battles in 2019 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a second term for himself. Yes, you got it right, read on.
This time, it is Lord Ram yet again for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Lord Shiva for the Congress and Lord Vishnu for the Samajwadi Party (SP) who will spearhead elections in the interesting times that lie ahead of the general elections. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) too is not averse to drumming up support by taking names of Hindu gods and positioning itself beyond the cliched image of being just a party of Dalits.
While the BJP has once again started the drum-beating on its commitment to the construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya and has set its eyes on the team of holy men to help it sail through once again, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and its affiliate units like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) are working on the ground to ensure a “repeat of the Hindu wave of the 90s” when the Ram temple issue was at its peak, paying political and electoral dividends to the BJP.
The Congress, which was hurt the most by being portrayed as a party of Muslims, this time is trying very hard to shrug off its image.
And so the prefixes of “Thakur, Pandit, Hindu Hriday Samraat” can be seen against names of its political stalwarts in hoardings and posters. Congress president Rahul Gandhi, thanks to his many visits to temples in recent times, is now being portrayed by the party cadres as a “Shiv Bhakt” who has just returned from the divine abode of the deity — Kailash Mansarovar.
This week, the Congress president looked annoyed when he was greeted by party men at the Bamrauli airport in Allahabad with slogans of “Bum, Bum Bhole” (glory to Lord Mahadev). Last time these slogans became part of campaigning were in Varanasi in 2014 when Modi began his campaign in the holy town. Rahul Gandhi was greeted with slogans of “Jai Shri Ram” at Chitrakoot when he visited a temple recently. (PTI)
