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As campaign heat intensifies, poll pitch for subtle polarisation gets intense in west U.P.

Apr 14, 2024 05:16 AM IST

In the region defined by a strong Muslim population and existing communal fault lines, politicians switch to recall of “exodus”, “curfew”, “fatwa” and “riots”

With less than a week to go for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, contentious issues are coming to the forefront of the campaign rhetoric in the state’s western region, which has a significant Muslim population and communal fault lines, as terms like “exodus”, “curfew”, “fatwa” and “riots” are coming into play.

File image of a Kanwar Yatras (HT File)
File image of a Kanwar Yatras (HT File)

Eight of the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies are scheduled for the first phase voting on April 19. All these eight seats fall under western U.P.

The BJP is raking up issues like Hindu exodus from many western districts, communal riots followed by prolonged curfews, disruptions to kanwar yatras (religious pilgrimages undertaken by devotees of Lord Shiva) issuance of fatwas and hurdles created in the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya in an apparent bid to rally Hindu voters to its cause.

In contrast, the SP-Congress alliance challenging the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has made surprising choices by fielding Hindu candidates in some constituencies dominated by Muslims, such as Meerut and Moradabad.

Notably, Congress candidate Imran Masood, who had allegedly made the controversial “boti-boti” remarks against the BJP’s then PM candidate Narendra Modi in 2014, has been publicly spotted visiting temples and singing “Ram Dhun”.

On Friday, while addressing a rally in Deoband town, which has an important Islamic seminary in Saharanpur, chief minister Yogi Adityanath claimed that chaos and anarchy were spread through fatwas from Deoband. He accused previous governments of making the seminary a place of religious fanaticism.

He also attacked the Congress and the Samajwadi Party for “bowing before mafia elements” and said his government took strict action against them and today some of them are in jail and some in “hell”. Among these important mafias, he referred to are also Atiq Ahamad, his brother Ashraf and Mukhtar Ansari.

Earlier, addressing a poll rally in Meerut a few days ago, Adityanath asked people if they wanted kanwar yatras or curfews, trying to remind them of how communal riots would break out over kanwar yatras in western UP in the past. The crowd cheered for him hearing the question.

Addressing a poll rally in Muzaffarnagar that witness riots in 2013, Union home minister Amit Shah spoke about the Hindu exodus from Kairana and other cities before the BJP came to power in U.P. in 2017.

“Now criminals and mafias are leaving the state and not the innocent people’,” he said even as the crowd clapped.

Similarly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has often blamed the Congress and other Opposition parties for creating hurdles in the way of construction of the grand Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Pawan Sharma, a professor of political science in the Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, said development and good law and order were very much important issues strongly favouring the BJP in western UP.

“Buy by raking up contentious issues, the BJP leaders are only trying to invoke Hindu fears to drive the point home that the double engine government has been able to unleash development in and bring peace to the region by dealing a blow to minority appeasement,” he said.

He said that the Congress-SP alliance appeared to be fearing polarization in view of a growing consolidation of Hindus in recent years.

“Since Hindus consolidation has been seen in recent years, polarised elections often harm the BJP’s opponents and this explains leaders like Imran Masood, known for his controversial hate remark against Modi during Lok Sabha elections 2014, is now seen talking of Hindu-Muslin harmony,” he said.

Former minister and BJP leader from western UP Ashok Katariya denied that the party was making any bid to polarise polls by raising controversial issues.

“We are fighting on the development plank, but we are also reminding the people of what the situation was like before 2017 and cautioning them to keep the same in mind while casting their vote,” he said on the phone from Amroha.

The opposition parties, he alleged, had done a lot of harm to the Hindus and now when the Hindus are getting united, leaders like Imran Masood were making temple runs.

“But voters are intelligent enough to see through everything,” he said.

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