Bajrang Dal ban move consolidated Muslim votes?

Press Trust of India

Bengaluru: Was the promise to ban Bajrang Dal in the Karnataka Congress manifesto ahead of the elections aimed at consolidation of Muslim votes? Multiple Congress leaders including those who were in the manifesto drafting committee confirmed that the proposal was inserted at the last minute so that the BJP makes it a major campaign issue.

The Congress in its manifesto for elections to the 224-member Assembly in Karnataka said it was committed to taking firm and decisive action against individuals and organisations spreading hatred amongst communities on grounds of caste and religion.

The BJP in no time latched onto the proposal in the manifesto released on May 2. The same afternoon, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his election speech at Hospet, the district headquarters town of Vijayanagara, dubbed the promise as one similar to locking up Lord Hanuman.

He also made a point to raise slogans ‘Jai Bajrangbali’ at the beginning and end of his election speeches in the state thereafter. According to a member of the manifesto drafting committee, the line on Bajrang Dal was inserted deliberately, which yielded electoral dividends. Muslims accounted for nearly 13 per cent of the voters in the polls.

“We had drafted two sets of manifestos. One was given to top Congress leaders in the first week of April itself and second one was prepared a week after the first one,” a Congress leader told PTI. Finally, one final copy was prepared incorporating all the suggestions and it was about to be sent for printing late night May 1.

“Just before the manifesto was sent for printing, a key Congress general secretary actively involved in the party’s strategy for the elections got the line on banning Bajrang Dal inserted. It was deliberate,” another Congress office-bearer said. “This leader might have calculated that the BJP’s aggressive Hindutva narrative in the Karnataka election will consolidate the Muslim votes in favour of Congress and his strategy worked,” he added.

“As expected, the BJP did not miss the opportunity offered on the platter by the Congress and went gung-ho,” a Congress leader said. According to political analysts, there was a consolidation of Muslim votes in favour of the Congress after this.