Modi turns to Hindutva to storm 'Dilli ni Sultanate'

Chief minister Narendra Modi has surprised many by coining an unexpected catch phrase for the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Lok Sabha campaign in the state.

During recent public meetings, he has been heard calling the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre as the Dilli ni Sultanate, which instantly brings to mind periods of Muslim rule in Indian history.

Modi-watchers are surprised because, till very recently, Modi seemed to have adopted development as his agenda for the Lok Sabha poll campaign and was trying to project himself and the BJP as the best choice for the country.

Modi is known for his ability to sway people by his oratory. He has demonstrated his skill not only in Gujarat but also in other states during elections. Ever since he emerged triumphant in the 2007 assembly polls, the BJP has projected him as its ‘star campaigner’.

He is also known to coin a catch phrase or slogan for every poll campaign. The unique thing about his catch phrases is that they strike a deep chord in voters and tend to stay in their memory.

He also comes up with effective symbols - the ‘Modi mask’ in the 2007 assembly elections is an example - that voters tend to identify with easily. As Gujarat is seen as the BJP’s ‘Hindutva laboratory’, Modi wants to make a decisive impact on this year’s Lok Sabha polls.

During recent speeches, Modi has frequently uttered the following words: ‘Hu Dilli ni Sultanat ne puchva mangu chu… (I want to ask the Delhi Sultanate…)’. He, of course, wants voters to think of the UPA government as a government run by members of the minority community.

Modi-baiters allege that he wants Hindu voters to think of the Dilli ni Sultanate (i.e., the Congress-led UPA government) as dependent on what he calls the ‘Muslim vote bank’. And, along with this, he wants Hindu voters to remember that it is the BJP which is championing the cause of the Ram temple at Ayodhya.

During the 2007 assembly elections, Modi used to sprinkle his speeches with the phrase, ‘Miyan Mushrraf’. He was obviously referring to the former president of Pakistan, Parwez Musharraf. At the time, Musharraf was still in office and India and Pakistan, even then, did not have good relations.

Observers of the political scene say that, in his public meetings, Modi is subtly adding Hindutva and terrorism to the theme of development. “Modi is ostensibly campaigning on the development agenda,” said Girish Patel, human rights activist, “but he is again using Hindutva in his campaign speeches. He knows development and Hindutva go down well with the middle class. Why didn’t he call the Central government the Dilli ni Sultanate when Atal Behari Vajpayee was the prime minister?”

Dr Ghanshyam Shah, an expert on political affairs, said that Modi coins such catch phrases ‘because they influence voters’. The BJP, however, has a justification for Modi’s referring to the UPA government as the Dilli ni Sultanate’.

“The Congress-led UPA government has done nothing for the country. It ruled the country just like emperors who thrive at the cost of the people,” said BJP spokesperson Yamal Vyas.

Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia said that Modi had fallen back on catch phrases because he finds himself ‘exposed’, and that he can’t survive politically just by selling fantasies. “Modi has come to power by selling falsehoods and stirring communal sentiments,” he said. “But no one can rule for long by such means.”