MANGALURU/BENGALURU: With Lok Sabha elections nearing, BJP president Amit Shah is gathering common agendas to plan the party’s strategy going into the elections. As part of his consensus-gathering activity involving the Sangh, Shah took part in the southern India ‘Baithak’ of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at Sanghaniketan in Mangaluru on Wednesday.
Sources from the meeting said that Shah was given a brief on the issues that the Sangh finds prominent especially in Karnataka and Kerala.After a delay of two-and-a-half hours, Shah, who landed in Mangaluru airport, headed straight to Sanghanikethan where the five-day Baithak that started on November 10 was underway.
While the Ram Mandir issue was discussed in the north India edition of the Baithak, Wednesday’s discussions, according to sources, revolved around the hotting up Sabarimala issue and the cow protection bill and its failure in Karnataka.
Sources said while the urgent need to take a call on the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya in the wake of Supreme Court adjourning the judgment was discussed at the Bhaitak, the issue of women’s entry into Sabarimala was also broached.
The leaders, who spoke on Ram Mandir, took serious exception to the SC not taking the issue seriously and felt the need for another movement to ensure the construction of the temple. It was said the Baithak also gave a call to the pracharaks to prepare the RSS and its parivar’s foot soldiers in this regard.Sources said the SC order on allowing women in the age group of 10-50 to Sabarimala temple and the results of the bypolls in Karnataka which was not in favour of BJP also came up for discussion.
Pointing out at the immense support that the agitation against the SC order on Sabarimala issue received, the leaders felt that it is the right time for the Sangh Parivar to expand its base in Kerala and other southern states. Considering the number of devotees who visit Sabarimala from Karnataka and the impact BJP’s protests have seen in Kerala, a similar movement in Karnataka may be on the cards.
With cases of cattle smuggling rocking coastal Karnataka frequently, the Bhaitak is said to have also persuaded the BJP president to take up matters aggressively with regard to anti-cow slaughter bill. The Sangh believes that the bill and its implementation has been diluted under the former Congress and now coalition government in Karnataka.
Shah will be part of the Baithak on Thursday as well where matters of political and ideological significance in the run-up to Lok Sabha polls are expected to be discussed.