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Journalism of Courage
With the Congress announcing Rahul Gandhi’s rally at Nagpur in the third week of April, it has set the stage for a showdown between the ruling BJP and Opposition parties.
State BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule said, “Let Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi come to Nagpur and hold rally. We have no problem. It will not make any impact on our support base or our goodwill in public. Under the pretext of rallies, If opposition tries to create animosity amongst communities and if it leads to law and order issues then it is bound to invite police action.”
The orange city happens to be the headquarters of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. It is also where Dr B R Ambedkar on October 14, 1956, embraced Buddhism along with thousands of followers at Deekshabhoomi.
Along with the rising mercury in April, the cotton belt of Vidarbha is bracing for heightened political activities pitting Congress and BJP in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
The state Congress president Nana Patole said, “We are aware BJP is not going make things easy for us to hold a rally. From permission for a rally venue to logistics, we will have to assert our rights. But in a democracy nobody can stop anybody from holding public rallies.”
While dismissing petty political skirmishes as inconsequential, a senior BJP leader from Vidarbha said, “Shinde-Fadnavis government is not going to do anything which is against rules. Every party has the right to hold rallies and meetings. If the state administration had to intervene, it could have stopped Maha Vikas Aghadi rally at Sambhajinagar where riots took place triggering communal tension.”
Beyond the rally, the larger concern and worry for BJP is to ensure the Other Backward Class ( OBC) base, which had given it a clear edge over others in the last three elections, remains intact.
In 2019, BJP won 29 assembly seats out of 62 seats in the Vidarbha region. Though ahead of other parties — Congress 15, NCP 6, Shiv Sena 4, others 8 — BJPs performance raised a question mark. In previous elections 2014, BJP won 44 seats out of 62 seats. Which meant a loss of 15 seats. Whereas, Congress won 10, NCP one, Shiv Sena four, and others three.
The BJP’s ability to use the agrarian crisis to its political advantage coupled with separate Vidarbha statehood demand helped the party gain a foothold and make deeper inroads into what was once a Congress’s bastion. The pro-Vidarbha movement, aggressively pursued by BJP while in Opposition, lost its steam once it came to power in Maharashtra in 2014. With the then alliance partner Shiv Sena opposing the bifurcation of Maharashtra, the BJP had to keep the separate statehood plank on the back burner.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who belong to Nagpur, are amongst the prominent leaders who have given fresh impetus to the region through the developmental plank. Their joint efforts to make Nagpur a world-class city complete with good roads, infrastructure, educational institutions, and industrial investments are beginning to show results.
Politically, BJP’s concern is rooted in MVA’s attempt at social engineering to consolidate its Dalits and OBC base. In 2019, BJP lost some seats due to anger among the Teli community. It had avenged the party’s decision to deny an assembly ticket to Chandrashekhar Bawankule. In a quick course correction after polls, the BJP made Bawankule state party president.
In 2014, when BJP gave the best performance, it succeeded in projecting itself as a united front promising development.
Almost eight years later politics have taken a different turn. The BJP along with its alliance partner Shiv Sena ( Shinde faction) has reverted to hard Hindutva — Jan Akrosh Rallies under Sakal Hindu Samaj to protest ” love jihad” to Mi Savarkar Rallies.
A couple of days ago Gadkari at a Nagpur rally said, ” We must thank Rahul Gandhi. Had it not been for his ‘mafiveer’ comment we would not have embarked on Mi Savarkar rallies to revive the life and work of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. ”
Fadnavis at a Mumbai rally held last week said, ” Rahul Gandhi has no ‘aukat’ to be Savarkar or Gandhi.” Ahead of Rahul Gandhi rally, BJP activists in Nagpur are going into overdrive to reach out to every hold to appraise the sacrifice of Savarkar in the freedom movement.
A BJP member said, “When you raise nationalism plank it blurs the caste and community lines. On one hand, we will keep the Savarkar issue alive to expose Rahul Gandhi. On the other hand, we will aggressively campaign for Modi’s pro-poor agenda. The impact of Garib Kalyan schemes amongst Dalits, tribals, OBCs, etc.”
On its part, Congress believes Rahul Gandhi, who has been accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of corruption and nepotism, will help them to regain their lost ground in Vidarbha.
An MVA leader said, “When NCP leader Anil Deshmukh was released from prison he got a rousing welcome. The massive crowd showed certain segments believe the Modi-Fadnavis government is misusing power against rivals.”
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