In 31 Karnataka seats where Hindutva holds sway, BJP banks on a repeat of last time

Among those who openly talked of their disillusionment were the cadre of Sangh Parivar-allied groups like the Hindu Jagaran Vedike and VHP, who accused BJP leaders of concentrating more on acquiring personal wealth.

Consequently, the BJP that had won 19 of the 31 seats in 2008 in the five districts swayed by Hindutva – Uttara Kannada, Shivamogga, Udupi, Chikamagalur and Dakshina Kannada — saw its tally plunge to five in 2013.

It bounced back in 2018, winning as many as 26 of the 31 seats, courtesy the rise in Hindutva fervour and resurgence of the BJP under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

As it heads into the 2023 Assembly elections, the BJP might be battling allegations of widespread corruption, but it has made it a point to keep its Hindutva vote base happy, by passing legislation to ban cow slaughter in the state, and putting curbs on religious conversions and on inter-religious marriages to check so-called “love jihad”.

The Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act was passed in February 2020, when B S Yediyurappa headed the BJP government. It bans the slaughter of “cow, calf of a cow and bull, bullock and he or she buffalo”, making exemptions only for buffaloes above the age of 13, certified by a competent authority, cattle used in medical research, cattle certified for slaughter by a veterinarian to prevent the spread of any disease, and very sick cattle.

Arrests can be carried out without court warrants for violation of the law, with punishment now three to seven years of jail, fines ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh, or both.

The law also grants protection to self-styled cow vigilantes who target illegal cattle smugglers, often with the patronage of Hindutva groups.

Just last week, in Ramanagara region of the state, three persons transporting cattle were attacked by a group of cow vigilantes, with one of them found dead later.

The incident has given a further impetus to demands growing in recent months to repeal the cow slaughter law, and return to the previous, less-stringent version. Former Congress CM Siddaramaiah told the Assembly in February that the new law hurts the farmers as they cannot sell their unproductive cattle.

“The government claims that the ban on cattle slaughter has benefited the ecosystem, but it has done nothing,” Siddaramaiah said, adding that the law had “a hidden agenda and communal agenda”.

The Karnataka Protection of Freedom of Religion Act, 2022, was passed last year despite protests by Opposition parties and minority groups. It covers two key demands of hardline Hindutva groups – imposition of restrictions on religious conversions and regulation of inter-religious marriages.

“No person shall convert or attempt to convert either directly or otherwise any other person from one religion to another by use of misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means or by marriage, nor shall any person abet or conspire for conversions,” says the Act.

“Religious conversions are not good for society. Conversions trap the poor and vulnerable sections of society,” CM Basavaraj Bommai said ahead of the passing of the law.

The Karnataka law is largely modelled on similar legislation in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.

Under the legislation, religious conversions for marriage will have legal recognition only if these are brought to the notice of a district magistrate 30 days in advance of conversion and 30 days post conversion.

A jail term of three year to five years, and a fine of Rs 25,000 has been proposed for violators from general categories, while jail of three to 10 years and fine of Rs 50,000 is proposed for minors, women and persons from SC/ST communities.