INDIA bloc appears to be losing the plot

Even as its constituents are seen to be indulging in minority appeasement what with their strong resistance to Waqf Amendment Bill, the INDIA bloc which has served Haryana on a platter to the BJP is yet again tottering; it is failing to focus and take advantage of anti-incumbency, if any, in UP and Maharashtra. Even as disquieting developments are surfacing across the country over Waqf Board actions, the INDIA bloc has failed to stay clear of the communal pitfalls. Then, naturally, why wouldn’t BJP be happy deploying its proven tactic of painting the opposition as opposed to the interests of the majority community. Unfortunately, so many issues of public importance are being relegated to the background as devious efforts to divide voters along caste and religion lines are once again at play

With the Assembly elections slated to be held in Maharashtra on November 20 and in Jharkhand between November 13-20 (in two phases), the poll fever is reaching its peak. Add to these the bypolls in 10 Assembly seats in UP.

The polls have become a litmus test for the BJP and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Winning these seats is very important both for him politically and for the BJP as well, which suffered a setback in the Lok Sabha elections. Nine seats are facing polls as sitting MLAs got elected as MPs in LS polls. The Sishamau seat fell vacant due to the disqualification of SP MLA Irfan Solanki, who was convicted in a criminal case.

The upcoming bypolls in UP are a sort of do-or-die for the BJP and the bloc INDIA. They also have significant political implications particularly for the Samajwadi Party and the BJP.

Soon after the announcement of the poll results, the winter session of Parliament would begin. This session would be crucial as it will have to pass the Waqf Amendment Bill which has started creating a lot of trouble across the country, stirring a feeling that “Waqf Terror” is on as the BJP calls it.

Amidst such a narrative, CM Adityanath has adopted a direct approach to ensure that the BJP wins in a majority of the 10 assembly seats by coming up with a slogan: “Batenge tho Katenge, Ek Rahoge tho Nek Rahoge.” Well, in simple terms, it is nothing but saying that “United we stand, divided we fall.” But then our great politicians never hesitate to twist the words and take them out of context. They are trying to give it a colour as if BJP is talking of creating communal disturbances and trying to indulge in ‘vote kato’ programme.

One thing which one needs to be understood is that India that is Bharat is a country where 80 per cent people are Hindus. They certainly need to be united in the larger interests of nation-building – both socially and politically. No party should use this concept for narrow political gains. We have seen the damage the country has suffered in the last 75 years because of continuing the practice of divide-and-rule inherited from the colonial rule. Unfortunately, the devious efforts to divide voters along caste and religion lines are still on.

We have leaders like Akhilesh Yadav of Samajwadi Party who happily goes to mosques but refuses to go to Ram Temple in Ayodhya. We have opposition leaders who talk of ‘Mohabbat ki Dukan’. But have no Mohabbat for Lord Ram at Ayodhya temple. So far, Akhilesh has neither gone there nor is he unlikely to do so soon. On the other hand, we have leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi who called the consecration function as ‘Nach Gana.’ This has led to the BJP coming up with the slogan of “Batenge tho Katenge, Ek Rahenge tho Nek Rahoge.”

The BJP which is this time solidly backed by the RSS decided to adopt a no-nonsense direct approach and consolidate the Hindu votes to counter the opposition attempts to depend on the support of the minority votes in UP, Maharashtra and Jharkhand.

But the situation in Maharashtra, if one goes by the figures of the Lok Sabha elections, is that the BJP-led Mahayuti needs to cover a lot of ground. Hence, it believes that the UP formula of direct approach to consolidate the Hindu votes would help it to be back in the driver’s seat. Hence, it is making a big issue of the developments related to Waqf.

It appears that the Congress is hitting a self-goal as it had done during the Haryana Assembly elections and lost the advantage of anti-incumbency against the ten-year rule of BJP and handed over power to the saffron party on a platter.

In Karnataka, a Zilla panchayat CEO served takeover notices to Hanuman temple and Durgavva temple in Kadakol village in Karnataka’s Haveri district on October 30. This triggered resistance by local people, leading to stone pelting and the police registering cases against those opposing the takeover.

As a damage control measure, the district administration stated that there was no attempt to take over the temple, saying that stage had not been reached yet. They claim that an internal circular was issued for the routine yearly process of mutating Waqf properties. They claim that there are three Waqf notified properties in the village but it had to be mutated and the Zilla Panchayat CEO merely asked the revenue department to verify the documents. Meanwhile, the residents got apprehensive about the possibility of their properties being seized, and resorted to stone pelting, the officials claim.

The three Waqf properties in question are masjid in the area, a Hanuman temple, a burial ground, and a few houses and it is felt that they would be soon reclassified as Waqf land. Whether it is true or not, it has created a sense of fear among the people that the Congress government in Karnataka is trying to take over Hindu temples. This certainly has potential to cause immense damage to the Congress party and INDIA bloc in Maharashtra polls.

In addition, there are reports that the Waqf Board has claimed close to 15,000 acres of land in Karnataka’s Vijayapura district. Sources suggest that similar incidents are surfacing in Chitradurga, Yadgir, and Dharwad districts. Details about the Waqf Board claiming 50 acres of land in Ballari also emerged.

The latest allegation by BJP MP Tejasvi Surya is that 1,500 acres of land in Haveri Vijayapura district’s Honavada were designated as Waqf properties and notices were issued to the farmers there. This allegation got credence as Law Minister HK Patil said the notices would be withdrawn. Industries Minister MB Patil, who is in charge of Vijayapura, said that the error cropped up due to a 1974 gazette notification.

With this, the government’s struggle to maintain its support base among the farmers is becoming increasingly evident. Despite Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s efforts to assure farmers that there would be no evictions, distrust among farmers refuses to die down and the opposition is using this as an example of ‘Batenge tho Katenge’ and is mocking the Congress slogan of ‘Mohabbat Ki Dukan’. It is coming up with more instances of alleged efforts of land grabbing by Waqf.

Things are under control now; Hindus continue to live in apprehension of the Waqf. Locals fear that their homes would be listed in the records as Waqf properties, which could result in their eviction. Added to this, the statement of AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge that government should not announce guarantees without considering the size of the budget has come as a shot in the arm for the BJP which says that it shows how Congress always backtracks on its poll promises.

The BJP is trying its best to convert the “Waqf Terror,” into a weapon to unite the Hindu voters saying that if voted to power in Maharashtra, the bloc INDIA would hand over temples and farmers lands to Waqf and that is why these parties were opposing the Waqf amendment bill in Parliament.

They are also making an issue over a member of the joint parliamentary committee representing TMC led by Mamata Banerjee losing his cool and breaking a glass bottle.

The allegation is that his intention was to hit the chairman which was duly denied by TMC and AIMIM. The BJPs argument is that all this ruckus was because the INDIA bloc believes in divisive politics and hence it was opposing the Waqf Amendment Bill.

How the voters will behave is something that needs to be watched in the next 18 days. Certainly, voters are more intelligent than the leaders and this they have proved in many elections including the recent Haryana elections.