Congress trying soft Hindutva card to counter BJP in MP

The Congress central leadership on Wednesday said it was not aware of Madhya Pradesh chief Kamal Nath’s reported directive to celebrate Ram Navami on April 10 and Hanuman Jayanti on April 16, which has prompted the BJP to allege that the opposition party was playing up the “soft Hindutva” card. Writes ETV Bharat's Amit Agnihotri.

New Delhi: The Congress central leadership on Wednesday said it was not aware of Madhya Pradesh chief Kamal Nath’s reported directive to celebrate Ram Navami on April 10 and Hanuman Jayanti on April 16, which has prompted the BJP to allege that the opposition party was playing up the “soft Hindutva” card. “I am not aware of any such directive from the AICC,” AICC secretary in charge of MP Kuldeep Indora told ETV Bharat, adding that “Kamal Nath may have suggested such program on his own.”

Following reports that MP Congress chief Kamal Nath had directed the state team to celebrate Ram Navami on April 10 and Lord Hanuman’s birth anniversary on April 16 and hold public recitals of Lord Ram’s tales and Hanuman Chalisa on those days, the state BJP had charged the opposition was trying to play the “soft Hindutva” card. Madhya Pradesh will have assembly elections in 2023.

Notably, in 2018, the Congress had promised to build cow sheds and develop pilgrimage centers across the state to take on the BJP. The party had also made a major issue of the farmers' plight in the central state. The Congress was able to form the government with Kamal Nath as chief minister but a miffed Jyotiraditya Scindia shifted to the BJP along with his supporting MLAs. As a result, the Congress lost power and the saffron party was back.

Scindia left the Congress as he was not made the state unit chief and is now a union minister besides being a Rajya Sabha member. Ahead of the 2023 assembly polls, the Congress faces a tough election and is banking on joblessness, price rise, and farm distress to win back the voters. "Our campaign will be based on the issues of joblessness, price rise, and farm distress. Already a drive against price rise in on,” said Indora.

Noting that politicians usually attend functions belonging to all religions, the AICC leader blamed the BJP for playing divisive politics. “BJP always blames others but we should respect all religions. Use of religion in politics is not good for society,” he said.

Yet, Congress is trying to counter the issue. On his part, Kamal Nath is expected to hold prayers in his native place Chhindwara on April 16 as he is considered to be a devotee of Lord Hanuman. He also got installed a 101 feet statue of the deity in his hometown last year.

Interestingly, the reported move to celebrate the culmination of the popular Hindu festival Navratri provoked Congress MLA Arif Masood to question Kamal Nath’s plan, which has come out in the midst of the month of Ramzan, when Muslims fast during the day. In a recent meeting of the state leaders, it was decided that Kamal Nath would lead the grand old party in the run-up to the next year’s polls.

The chief minister would be elected by the new MLAs, said Indora, saying this was the normal Congress practice.