Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s minority symbolism ahead of the BJP’s sledgehammer Hindutva pitch is akin to mollification prior to turbulence. The party's Christian and Sikh outreach in the run-up to the impending national blitzkrieg at Ayodhya may be a well calibrated strategy. Outfits of the wider Sangh fraternity appear to have been tasked with tapping the inauguration of the Ram temple to spark a strong religious fervour across the country. To negate that majoritarian rabble rousing, the BJP is also going hammer and tongs to woo various minorities based on state demographics – the pattern changing from Kerala to the North East. The BJP’s aim has been to garner a major chunk of the Hindu vote in the general elections and to that end, patronise a section of minorities to play the catalyst.
But what does the curation of minority outreach events by the party top brass and saffron fraternity mean for an ostensibly secular country? The BJP, Sangh Parivar and its ecosystem have an undeniable attraction towards hyperbole and astonishing, odious utterances. That the temple in Ayodhya has always been segued into the Bharatiya Janata Party’s project of political triumph is no secret. Symbolically, hardcore BJP loyalists may be projecting the unveiling of the temple as a pluralist republic’s embrace of majoritarianism. Hence, the Prime Minister’s pep talk and community messages on Christmas and Sikh Martyrdom Day are signals to the religious minorities that they are part of the India growth story and their contributions in various fields are being acknowledged and lauded.
Or else, how does one explain two back-to-back events graced by the BJP leadership signaling an effort to woo minorities amidst the hullaballoo over the scheduled temple opening ceremony. Commemorating the martyrdom of Guru Gobind Singh’s sons Zorawar and Fateh, the Prime Minister asserted how the Sikh gurus have taught Indians to live for the glory of their land and served as an inspiration to the nation. And at the Christmas lunch hosted by Prime Minister Modi himself, he was singing paeans to the Christian community’s contribution to society. With the hype over Ayodhya looming on the horizon, a visit to Delhi’s Sacred Heart Cathedral this Easter or addressing an august gathering of the community on Christmas Day are definitely a sign of the BJP’s inclusive approach.
Has the BJP realised that the thin veil of secularism can actually win at the hustings? Yes, Christian votes are decisive in Kerala and the Northeastern states where the new bonhomie may effect a major change in the existing electoral arithmetic, notwithstanding the community’s limited influence. The community is irked by the Union government and the BJP regime for its failure to act decisively in Manipur to end the ethnic clashes in which tribesmen following the faith bore the brunt. Any tilt by the community towards saffron hues will actually benefit the BJP as its sustained campaign of India’s ills being traced to appeasement by ‘pseudo-secular’ forces may gain more traction within its core voter base.
The BJP’s acknowledgement of the heterogeneity within Muslims has churned social engineering of another form. The BJP’s outreach to the Pasmanda Muslims is a step to gain an edge in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, both with significant Pasmanda populations. This has the possibility of impacting the Samajwadi Party (SP) in UP and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Bihar since the Muslims form a major chunk in the Muslim-Yadav alliance. In the past, the BJP dented regional SP-RJD satraps by targeting non-Yadav votebanks. So, there is a political message for 2024 in the Prime Minister’s direct overtures to Christians, Sikhs and other minorities.
In 2022, at the BJP’s national executive meeting in Hyderabad, Prime Minister Modi had emphasised on reaching out to the ‘marginalised and non-elite’ sections of the minority communities. To expand the party’s support base, the Prime Minister suggested a few ideas as part of his subsequent push for winning over Muslims and Christians. Programmes to woo the Pasmanda and Bohra Muslim communities and reaching out to the Christian community in Kerala are pointers in that direction.
While the Ram temple inauguration may be a mechanism already in place to consolidate polarisation and reap electoral dividends, the BJP appears to space out comforting signals to the minorities and also gain their support prior to the crucial Lok Sabha polls. Having established dominance with the trajectory of temple politics coming full circle, the party stalwarts feel they can use the perception of the Prime Minister’s imminent return to power in 2024 to get sections of minorities to back them. Drawing parallels between the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Upanishads, PM Modi said, "The Holy Bible says that whatever God has given us, it should be used for the service of others. This is what Seva Parmo Dharma is." The harping on the spirit of ‘Sabka prayas’ or everyone’s effort for nation building was clearly meant to drive home the party’s agenda in subdued tones.
Lakhs of apolitical Modi mitras (friends of Modi) appointed in Lok Sabha constituencies in several states, including Kerala, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Bihar, Telangana, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh have one task in hand – to disseminate the government’s welfare and social outreach schemes. The BJP had reaped rich electoral dividends on the mandir-masjid imbroglio in the past. Prime Minister Modi’s electoral roadmap for 2024 is set to make a pit stop in Ayodhya. But this time, he wants to tag all communities of the populace and segue from one anointment to another.
(The writer is a commentator on politics and society. Views are personal.)
