AHMEDABAD: Congress has sought to intensify its brand of ‘Hindutva’ to get back at the BJP. The opposition party on Friday held an election meeting in the historic city of Somnath and decided to organise a Saurashtra rally in the holy town. The Friday meeting is set to decide the election strategy of the party in the assembly polls due later this year.
Somnath emerged on the national political canvas when LK Advani set out with his Rath Yatra from the town in September 1990. The state Congress’ Saurashtra zone meeting will guide the party cadre on key issues. The party will focus on booth management, sources said.
The choice of Somnath for the Congress meeting is deliberate. The Lord Shiva temple located in the Gir-Somnath district has been the centre of the Hindu faith. Before any election rally or any major event, BJP leaders usually visit the temple.
It is not the first time that Congress has decided to amplify its own version of soft Hindutva. In a meeting of the Gujarat Congress held on May 27, plans were announced to resort to soft Hindutva. “Congress will organize ‘katha’ and ‘aarti’ in urban areas. The party will also organise mass worship of Mahadev in the month of Shravan,” said state Congress chief Jagdish Thakore.