NEW DELHI: Ahead of the 2024 general elections, the BJP seems to have started treading cautiously on religious issues. BJP national president JP Nadda has directed party MPs to avoid making any statement on religious issues which could snowball into major controversies. Nadda’s direction came after party leaders had been mired in disputes over religious issues, the latest one related to the BJP-Congress contest over a religious seer.
In a virtual meeting, Nadda communicated that only authorised spokespersons of party – after consultation with the organisation’s senior think-tank – would given statements on religious themes like ‘Hindutva’ or ‘Hindu rashtra’.
Sources in the BJP said that Nadda had asked party MPs that those faithful to any centre of religion – in this case the Bageshwar Dham – should avoid making comment on religious issues or belief. “Any such comment on issues related to religion could either land the party in an spot or may snowball into a bigger controversy,” Nadda reportedly instructed the MPs during online meeting.
Sharing strategies, in view of the elections in 2024, Nadda said that all party MPs must bring the government’s performance sheet to the common people in their respective constituencies. Nadda also instructed party MPs to take the President’s address, at the joint sitting of both houses of the Parliament, to the common people. President Draupadi Murmu’s inaugural address at the Budget session highlighted the Centre’s policies and plans for the upcoming year.
Additionally, he asked the MPs to complete organising the of the ‘MP Khel Spardha’ (MP sports competition) as per Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s suggestion. Nadda’s instruction on religious issues also followed party MP Manoj Tiwary’s visit to a religious event held at the Bageshwar Dham where he had reportedly sung a Bhojpuri song and had reportedly spoken on ‘Hindutva’ and ‘Hindu rashtra’.