It’s not just soft Hindutva policy, but revisits the hurt born of temples demolished
Jaipur as party’s choice to kick off poll campaign for Rajasthan assembly elections by Congress president Rahul Gandhi is in line with the party’s strategy to adopt ‘Soft Hindutva’. The model has served Congress well in Gujarat where the party got the Modi-Shah combine sweating in the run-up to the assembly polls last year.
In Jaipur it serves another purpose. The locals, particularly the residents of the walled City, are anguished by the scores of temples, some of them centuries old, dismantled and relocated due to ongoing work of the Metro phase II and the smart city projects. His visit, therefore, is not only to boost the morale of party workers who did not see party surging in Jaipur city, but also capture the imagination of the residents who have traditionally remained BJP supporters.
In 2015, the Vasundhara Raje government had razed down over 100 temples in Jaipur, including the ancient Rozgareshwer Temple at Choti Chaupar that was bulldozed for Metro works. Backed by RSS, the Hindu outfits held a chakka jam in the city protesting against demolition of temples, in which few ruling party MLAs took part as well. The people’s memory is not short-lived on this one.
If BJP office bearers are to be believed, emotions are still running high when it comes to the demolition drive in city. “The local legislators are at their wits’ end.
One of them who represents a Walled City constituency, expressed his fears of a backlash claiming people have stopped visiting his residence,” an official said. Sources said that BJP legislators have time and again apprised the party leadership of their discomfort over the drive.
In the Congress, when Sikar, Kota and tribal areas were suggested for Rahul’s tour in Rajasthan, the senior leaders pressed the name of Jaipur for his one-day tour. The road show was in addition to Gandhi’s visits to two of the most revered temples – Moti Dungri and Govind Dev Ji.
The state capital has so far remained a BJP bastion. Dominated by traders, over the last three decades, the Jaipur MP (City) has been a BJP candidate, barring in 2009 when Mahesh Joshi defeated former BJP MLA Ghanshyam Tiwari to get elected on a Congress ticket. In 2013 assembly election the saffron party swept away all eight seats of Jaipur city. Prior to this when Gehlot government was formed in 2009, the Congress won only three in Jaipur while the remaining five were retained by BJP.
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