BJP tweaks plan for Christian-majority Meghalaya
THE BJP HAS BEEN CAREFUL IN ITS CAMPAIGN, NOT TO EMBARRASS LOCAL LEADERSHIP OR POTENTIAL ALLIES WITH ITS ‘HINDUTVA’ BRAND
NEW DELHI: In his campaign push for Meghalaya that votes on February 27, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken the foreignpolicy route to drive home the point that the BJP was not antiChristian and was committed to respecting local traditions.
“We have not remained a silent spectator when Christian missionaries and minority workers were terrorised i n conflict zones,” he said at a poll rally in Phulbari on February 22.
To drive home the point, Modi cited the rescue of 46 nurses from Iraq, the safe return of Father Alex Prem Kumar from captivity in Afghanistan and the release of Father Tom Uzhunnalil after a year in captivity in Yemen.
Modi was not only showcasing India’s increasing clout at the world stage but was also trying to tamper the Bharatiya Janata Party’s “hardline Hindutva” image in a state where Christians account for 75% of the population.
His effort is in tune with several such moves the party has made across the northeast. Party leaders say it reflects the BJP’S respect for India’s cultural diversity, critics call it hypocrisy.
The real test, however, will be Meghalaya, where the party’s rivals, particularly the ruling Congress, have attacked the BJP for its alleged saffron agenda. The Church, too, has spoken openly against the party.
The BJP has been careful in its campaign, not to embarrass local leadership or potential allies with its “Hindutva” brand of politics.
The party has followed a fourpoint strategy — pick the right people, keep local sensitivities in mind in navigating the tricky issue of beef, decide on alliances and choose right candidates.
The party picked spokesman Nalin Kohli, a moderate and suave lawyer-politician, as the state in-charge in July 2015.
In August that year, Congress leader Himanta Biswa Sarma crossed over to the BJP and was soon the party’s pointsman.
Over the next few months, Sarma and Kohli scouted for candidates. The job to strengthen the organisation was left to Ram Lal, Ram Madhav and Ajay Jamwal, the three RSS leaders serving the BJP in different capacities.
In July last year, two local senior leaders walked out of the party over the beef controversy, setting off alarm bells in Delhi. They were not allowed to hold a beef party to mark the third year of the Modi government.
The BJP swung into action, with Sarma asking local leaders to avoid the controversy. The next challenge was deciding on an alliance. After much deliberation, the BJP decided against joining hands with the National People’s Party of Conrad Sangma even though the NPP is an ally at the Centre. The party, which rarely fields minority candidates in north India, kept local dynamics in mind.
Irrespective of how the votes stack up on March 3, the BJP’S Meghalaya campaign has given a glimpse of the party’s ability to adapt to a different setting.