Ram Van Gaman Path Yatra, temple runs and gaushalas: Congress' ‘soft Hindutva’ pitch in Madhya Pradesh

Rahul Gandhi Congress 2018

The Indian National Congress is rolling out various plans to negate Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Hindutva pitch for the upcoming Madhya Pradesh Assembly election.

The Congress is planning to hold a ‘Ram Van Gaman Path Yatra’ along the mythical route taken by Lord Rama on his way to the 14-year exile, according to a report by The Indian Express.

The party has accused the BJP of swearing by Lord Rama, but not developing the route after it was announced a decade ago, the report adds.

Congress leader Harishankar Shukla, the brain behind the proposed yatra, told the newspaper, “We want Lord Rama’s blessings ahead of the elections.”

“We are readying an open rath (chariot) in which Hindu saints will sit. Akhand Manas Path and bhajans will be played throughout the duration of yatra,” Shukla said.

Reacting to the development, BJP spokesman Rahul Kothari accused the Congress of being a party without any issue.

“It’s bent on politicking in the name of Lord Rama,” Kothari told the newspaper, accusing Congress of thinking about Ram as Madhya Pradesh is a Hindu-majority state.

Gaushalas

On September 3, Madhya Pradesh Congress President Kamal Nath said the party would build gaushalas (protective shelters for cows) in every panchayat of the state.

In a tweet, Nath said, “Pradesh ki har panchayat mein 'gaushala' banayenge. Ye ghoshna nahi, vachan hai (We will build a gaushalas in every panchayat. This is a promise, not an announcement).”

There are 23,006 panchayats in the state.

According to a report by The Week, speaking at a rally on September 2, Nath had slammed BJP's approach towards cow protection, alleging that the condition of gaushalas in the state was pathetic, despite the saffron party's publicly stated commitment to cow protection.

Temple run

Congress President Rahul Gandhi is likely to model his Madhya Pradesh campaign on his Gujarat run in 2017 and continue temple visits, according to media reports.

The party’s campaign in the state will begin with Rahul’s visit to Omkareshwar temple.

Gandhi had visited several temples while campaigning during the Karnataka assembly election as well.

The developments have led to speculations that Congress was trying to project an image which identified itself as more sympathetic towards Hindu issues.

The strategy is being called “soft Hindutva”.

The Congress is attempting to defeat the incumbent Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government, which has been in power for almost 15 years.

In 2013, BJP had won 165 seats in the 230-member assembly. Congress had finished distant second with 58 seats.

An ABP-CVoter opinion poll in August suggested that the Congress would win the election with a slim margin. According to the survey, Congress would get 117 seats ahead of BJP’s 106. Congress would command a 41.7 percent vote share ahead of BJP’s 40.1 percent.

The assembly election in the state is scheduled for later this year, along with Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram. There are also indications that Telangana could vote to elect a new assembly during the same period.

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