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this juncture. appeasement’ and ‘Hindu terror’ are badal ke rakh de chaukidaar” (Adieu this
During her electoral campaigns, negated to some extent by the support time, change the watchman).
Pragya Thakur never tires of invoking he is eliciting from some Hindu seers The Congress leadership has also
public sympathy by projecting herself and saints. His recent six-month long invoked epic characters from Hindu
as a ‘victim’ of the conspiracy to malign Narmada Yatra is said to have helped Epics to rebut PM Modi’s virulent attacks
Hindutva, often breaking down while him recover some of his lost political on Congress leaders — past and present.
narrating stories of her torture. Media ground. Some observers opine that tone Priyanka Gandhi, general secretary of
reports make it discernible about Thakur and tenor of Digvijay Singh meeting the Congress party, recently compared
boasting of having climbed atop the the challenge of Sadhvi Pragya is going PM Modi’s arrogance to Duryodhana of
Babri Mosque and demolished it. to be a lesson for Congress as to how to Mahabharat in an election rally.
Distrustful of the local BJP leaders, counter the BJP’s hard Hindutva.
Sadhvi has reportedly entrusted the Confronted with Sadhvi Pragya’s hard Way ahead
charge of her election campaign to her Hindutva onslaughts, Digvijay Singh is Along with many experts, sources close
sister Upma Didi. During the course of reported to weave his campaign around to the BJP and Congress concede that
her election campaigns, Sadhvi fre- the development plank along with soft the contest for Bhopal is a tough battle.
quently makes a stop at temples on the Hindutva. According to media reports, According to media reports, a senior BJP
way and holds conversation with the he embarked on his campaign by visit- leader, while conceding that theBhopal
people who gather there either to have a ing temples. Singh’s 3,300-km arduous election has become a litmus test for
glimpse of her or are party loyalists. Her on foot pilgrimage for 102 days in 2018 RSS’s Hindutva, has said: “We have taken
electoral discourse during these cam- along the Narmada is said to be helpful in a big risk. If we lose, it will mean voters
paigns has veered around “Dharma and shedding his anti-Hindu image that his have rejected Hindutva”. Undoubtedly,
Adharma” and there has seldom been detractors have tried to thrust upon him. Congress wrested power from the BJP
any talk about other issues. In the wake of support for Singh pour- in Madhya Pradesh in 2018 assembly
The BJP is reported to have discov- ing in from seers hailing from different elections in a neck-to-neck contests;
ered in Sadhvi a mascot and on the sects of Hinduism and akharas, the state nevertheless, similar tough contest is on
other hand Sadhvi is riding high on her Congress circles are optimistic of Singh the cards as well for Lok Sabha seats.
saffron poster mascot image, making emerging victorious in this battle. The In 2014 in Madhya Pradesh, the BJP
efforts to capitalise on the sympathy controversial Computer Baba, who had had won 27 out of 29 seats while the Con-
she is sanguine about garnering over been granted ministerial status by the gress managed just two. But if the survey
custodial torture. She is reported to shun erstwhile BJP government headed by by Poll Eyes conducted in the last week
media persons; nevertheless, this author Shivraj Singh, is now eliciting support for of March this year is any indication, the
chanced to have a very brief interaction Singh from saints and seers belonging to BJP could incur heavy losses in Madhya
with Sadhvi wherein she told that she different Hindu sects. Pradesh compared to 2014.
will win by more than five lakh votes. Media reports indicate that Com- The survey predicts that the BJP’s
puter Baba has said: It is a fight be- tally could fall to 16, a drop of 11 seats
Congress stratagem tween Dharma and Adharma. Digvijay while the Congress’ tally could increase
Conceding that Bhopal fight is a tough Singh represents the truth and follows by the same number and go up to 13 in
contest between the BJP and Congress, Dharma. That is why I am campaigning the state. In terms of vote share, the BJP
some critics opine that the Congress has for him.” Computer Baba has predicted and the Congress are evenly matched at
the advantage of being in power in the that the saffron party is not going to get close to 47 percent. Let’s wait for the final
state since December last year and BJP’s more than 100 seats in 2019 Lok Sabha. outcome!
efforts in sullying the image of Digvi- In a brief interview with this author,
jay Singh on the charges of ‘minority Computer Baba said: “Ram abki baar, letters@tehelka.com

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