As the countdown to the bitterly contested Maharashtra Assembly elections begins, the ruling BJP has raised the volume on issues that could polarise voters to its advantage.
While a Cabinet meeting earlier this week gave the cow the status of ‘Rajya Mata (State’s Mother)’, Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis claimed at a public meeting on Monday that “love jihad” was a real threat, with “more than a lakh cases” across the state. Not only that, Fadnavis attributed results in 14 of the 48 seats in Maharashtra in the recent Lok Sabha elections to “vote jihad”, hinting at the population composition of the constituencies.
An organisation called the Sakal Hindu Samaj first brought “love jihad” widely into the Maharashtra political lexicon last year, inviting several charges of hate speech. However, BJP leaders officially kept their distance from it. Fadnavis, who also holds the Home portfolio, now seems to have put his stamp on the charges.
The Election Commission is expected to declare the dates for the Maharashtra elections within days of the October 8 results of the Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir polls.
The BJP, which plunged from 23 seats in Maharashtra to nine in the recent Lok Sabha polls, is racing against time to gain lost ground. While seat-sharing talks with the unwieldy coalition it has stitched together with the Shiv Sena and NCP are chugging along at a slow pace, the party realises it needs to win at least 100 Assembly seats of the total 288 to remain the big brother of the coalition, and to be in contention for power.
This is no easy task given that at its best, the BJP got 122 seats in 2014, which fell to 105 in 2019, when it fell short of a majority. The party contested 260 in 2014 (it was then a multi-corner as parties went alone) and 164 seats in 2019 (when it contested in alliance with the Shiv Sena), and is expected to get not more than 160 in the three-way Mahayuti coalition.
BJP leaders believe that the complacency around the Hindu vote after the inauguration of the Ram Temple cost it in Maharashtra in the Lok Sabha polls. They are determined not to have a repeat, and hence, the appeal to the party’s core base with issues such as “love” and “vote” jihad, and the cow.
BJP sources point out that they also can’t let the aggression slacken as the party has a direct competitor in the Shiv Sena for the Hindu vote in Maharashtra. Pushing these issues also drives Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray into a corner, as he already has to convince his voters that joining hands with the Congress doesn’t mean a dilution of the Hindutva of his party.
Officially, BJP leaders say the cow’s elevated status is a necessary measure to preserve and protect the indigenous variety. Cabinet minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said: “We should look at cow protection scientifically. The cow is the mainstay of agriculture and farmers. From its milk to its dung and urine, it has multi-purpose uses.”
A crackdown on cow slaughter in Maharashtra has been in place since 2014, when the BJP formed the government with the Shiv Sena, with Fadnavis as CM.
In the past year, the Mahayuti government has ignored calls seeking action against the “love jihad” and “land jihad” rallies of the Sakal Hindu Samaj, despite demand by several quarters.
Recently, controversial preacher Ramgiri Maharaj’s remarks during an annual religious event held at Nashik put several parts of the state on edge. While, after protests by Muslim organisations, an FIR was filed against Ramgiri, Shiv Sena leader and CM Eknath Shinde shared a dais with him and praised him 24 hours later.
The government’s laxity on the matter was further underlined by remarks of BJP MLA Nitesh Rane, who at two rallies in Ahmednagar, defended Ramgiri and allegedly made threats against those opposing him. Only after there was outrage over an MLA talking like this was an FIR lodged. But no action has been taken against Rane so far.
Admitting that the status quo may continue, a senior BJP functionary requesting anonymity said: “Rane is the voice of millions who want hard Hindutva. And the BJP is giving him political patronage.”
An anti-encroachment drive at Vishalgad Fort near Kolhapur, which also drew attention as Muslim establishments were demolished, led to similar questions about the BJP’s intent.
Fadnavis said it was wrong to see everything through a Hindus versus Muslims prism. “All illegal encroachments in places of worship, historical forts and public places will be demolished as per rules.”
Now, ahead of the Navratri festival starting October 3, the VHP has directed garba organisers to ensure non-Hindus do not participate in the celebrations, and to check credentials of the individuals seeking to do so. Those cleared would have to sport vermillion on their forehead and bow to gods and goddess, the VHP has said.
The Hindutva push has been called a lie by the Shiv Sena (UBT), a member of the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition. MP Sanjay Raut said, “The BJP by giving the Rajya Mata tag to the cow has insulted ideologue V D Savarkar.” This was a reference presumably to Savarkar’s scientific temperament and a more practical view of the cow.
Congress chief Nana Patole attacked Fadnavis, saying, “When the Home Minister makes controversial statements like love jihad, vote jihad, it is a violation of his Constitutional oath.”
Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis claimed at a public meeting on Monday that “love jihad” was a real threat, with “more than a lakh cases” across the state. (File) 
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