MANGALURU: Following the drubbing at the hands of the BJP in the last Lok Sabha elections, the Congress high command has allegedly sent an advisory to all state units to include upper caste Hindus in the party organisation.
AICC member and former defence minister A K Antony had mooted the idea which has been accepted by the party high command, according to a state-level party worker.
Following the directive, Congress workers and leaders in district units have begun scouting for upper caste Hindus, including Brahmins and Gowd Saraswat Brahmins. They will form a core group called Bharatiya Hindu Samaj (BHS) on the lines of Vishwa Hindu Parishat of BJP, with a mandate to take care of the interests of Hindus in the party.
Since the coastal region has the highest number of upper caste Hindu voters and returned three MPs from the BJP in the last elections, the hunt for the BHS chief will also begin here, say party leaders. When asked to comment, senior leader Shakuntala Shetty told Express: “What I heard in the party meetings was that the Congress should take everybody along in its pursuit of a secular society. I do not know about a core committee for the majority community.”
KPCC member Vijaykumar Shetty aired the same opinion. Forest Minister Ramanatha Rai denied of such a group within the party.