Thursday, 02 December 2021 | Gajendra Singh Negi | Dehradun
Ahead of the assembly elections Congress treading on Hindutva line in Hindu dominated U’khand
In what can be termed as a change of strategy ahead of the crucial assembly elections, the Congress party is trying to tread on the Hindutva line in Uttarakhand. As part of this strategy the former chief minister and head of the campaign committee of the Uttarakhand Congress Harish Rawat appeared with a Trident in a press conference in Dehradun on Wednesday. Rawat handed over the trident to the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Ganesh Godiyal and the party MLA from Kedarnath Manoj Rawat and congratulated them for the victory of the party’s stand on the issue of the Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board. He said that the Kedarnath MLA was the first person who raised his voice in the state assembly when the bill was tabled and the party stood firmly with the Teerth Purohits and the stake holders in opposing the Devasthanam Board due to which the BJP government was forced to repeal the act. When asked Rawat said that religion is the matter of one’s individual faith but BJP thinks that it has sole proprietorship over Hinduism.
It is pertinent to mention here that Rawat tried to score a political point over BJP by visiting the Kedarnath shrine ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month. The pictures and videos of Rawat in Kedarnath holding a Trident and Damru (the drum of Shiva) while dancing with a Sadhu were widely circulated in social media. The Congress leaders also tried to counter Modi’s mega show in Kedarnath which was telecast live in all the Shaktipeethas of the country by offering water in the Shiva temples of the state. The Congress also made an issue of Modi wearing shoes inside Kedarnath temple.
Rawat in particular is keen to showcase his Hindu image as the BJP has always branded him as a pro Muslim leader. The BJP leaders always claim that Rawat during his tenure as CM of Uttarakhand had declared a holiday on Friday for Muslims to offer Namaz. The predicament of the Congress to adopt a pro Hindutva line in Uttarakhand is understandable since Hindus are in an overwhelming majority here. As per the census data of 2011 the state has 83,68636 Hindus out of its total population of 1,0086292. The voters of the state have swayed to the emotive issues such as Ram Mandir and nationalism in the past. In Uttarakhand the Congress is up against BJP which wears its Hindu identity on its sleeves. Interestingly the Aam Aadami Party (AAP) which is trying to get a foothold in the politics of the state is also trying to woo Hindus by offering free pilgrimage and assurance that it would make Uttarakhand the spiritual capital of Hinduism when it comes to power.
Political commentator Jai Singh Rawat said that there is no surprise in Congress adopting Hindutva line in Uttarakhand which is considered a Dev Bhoomi. He said that the BJP has already played the communal card by raising the issue changing demography and the Congress is trying to counter it.
“It is said that there as many Shivas as the number of pebbles in Uttarakhand. The Shaivs are in dominance here and understanding this Harish Rawat is brandishing the Trident which is associated with lord Shiva,’’ he quipped.
