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Digvijaya, Sadhvi paint

Bhopal with same brush

Hard Amid BJP’s brand of Hindutva versus ‘soft Hindutva’ brand of Congress, many critics
subscribe to the popular view that the Bhopal contest has been turned into a
LIne ‘Dharam-Yudh’ as each tries to garner support of voters invoking Hindu identity

Anil Singh he electoral contest in Bhopal that senior state BJP leaders like Shivraj
— between BJP’s Sadhvi Pragya Singh Chouhan, former chief minister of MP
Thakur and senior Congress lead- or Uma Bharti or Babu Lal Gaur, could take
The columnist is er Digvijay Singh — has hogged him on from the BJP.
Executive Editor of T media limelight nationally and Some experts aver that the BJP’s decision
News24 news is seen as the defining highlight of the 2019 to field Sadhvi Pragya was designed to serve
channel. The views Lok Sabha polls in the Hindi Heartland. The twin purposes — discourage state leaders
here expressed are the Bhopal contest is grabbing eyeballs coun- who could even remotely challenge the BJP
author’s own tywide because of its role in changing the top brass and polarize the situation on com-
electoral discourse to be focused on the BJP’s munal lines in Bhopal by raising the bogey of
brand of Hindutva versus ‘soft Hindutva’ ‘Hindu terror’, a comment allegedly made by
brand of Congress. Digvijay Singh at one stage, which however,
Many critics subscribe to the popular has been denied by the latter.
view that the Bhopal contest has been Fielding of Sadhvi Pragya from Bhopal
turned into a ‘Dharam-Yudh’. However, was reportedly a well-calculated move
other states of the Hindi Heartland also go- with the expectations that any ripple effect
ing to polls in these remaining phases of the generated in the wake of Sadhvi’s utterances
2019 Lok Sabha elections, have witnessed could entail the potential of extending be-
the thrust of the BJP on national security, yond Bhopal in the age of social media and
Hindutva and muscular nationalism connectivity. Perhaps the tragic happenings
Many experts have opined that the BJP in the Western UP town of Muzaffarnagar in
has seemingly exhausted its armoury by 2013 that had proved instrumental in deep-
having fired all the salvos — from Pulwama ening the communal divide in the entire UP
terror attack, Balakot, national security, were behind this decision.
muscular nationalism to Nehru and Rajiv Bhopal has been a BJP bastion for over
Gandhi — as its electoral ploys to garner three decades and by fielding Sadhvi Pragya
votes in the remaining phases of Lok Sabha the party has made Bhopal the epicenter of
Fielding of Sadhvi polls and fielding of Sadhvi Pragya Thakur its Hindutva ideology. While acknowledging
Sadhvi’s propensity in engendering com-
is seen as one of those last salvos. These
from Bhopal was experts also opine that such a quick shift of munal divide, some experts have raised a
reportedly a emphasis in the BJP’s electoral discourse few questions: Will she be used as a double-
edged sword to distract as many people as
demonstrates some kind of desperation
well-calculated within the party to wrest power by all she draws to her side?
How will the Hindu populace respond
move with the means. to her shrill rhetoric? Another worri-
expectations that BJP gambit some question is as to how the people will
any ripple effect The BJP’s decision to field Sadhvi Pragya respond to the BJP fielding Sadhvi alleged
Singh Thakur, a key accused in the 2008
to be involved in a terror act in the light
generated by her Malegaon blast case, against Congress leader of PM Modi’s ‘tough stance on terrorism.’
utterances may Digvijay Singh in Bhopal took almost eve- Nevertheless, some critics opine that PM
Modi’s description of Sadhvi’s candidacy as
ryone by surprise, including within the BJP
get viral online as well. According to media reports, in the a symbolic answer to those who allegedly
branded Hindus as ‘terrorists should put all
wake of Digvijay Singh having thrown his
and benefit BJP hat in the ring from Bhopal, it was expected queries about Sadhvi’s candidature to rest at

tehelka / 31 may 2019 20 www.tehelka.com