North Indians to remain with BJP even after Uddhav’s Ayodhya tour
Can Sena draw voters into its fold, as temple was BJP poll issue?
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, it seems, has taken a political revenge from its ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by hijacking the Ram temple issue before the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Notably, the BJP had hijacked the Chhatrapati Shivaji issue from the Sena before the 2014 Lok Sabha election.
However, the North Indian leaders claimed though Uddhav has raised the Ram temple issue, there will be no polarisation of the North Indian voters. Instead, they will again support the BJP in the next election.
The BJP had adopted a tagline of ‘Chhatrapati Ka Ashirwad, Chalo Chale Modi ke Saath’ (With Blessings of Chhatrapati Shivaji, Let us go with Modi) before the 2014 Assembly poll. Shiv Sena always used the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji and had said ‘Shiv Shahiche Sarkar Sattet Ale ahe’ (The government with an ideology of Shivaji had come to power) when for the first time the Sena-BJP alliance had come to the power in 1995 in the state.
Even now, Uddhav used the term ‘Shiv Shahi’ — an ideal governance, to be in the state. It was considered as Maratha warrior Shivaji was a limited property of the Sena, which BJP hijacked.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis took the credit of beginning Shivaji memorial in the Arabian Sea and got the water-poojan of the memorial
The community is traditional BJP voters and will remain with the BJP, even after the Ayodhya tour of Thackeray. Opposition Congress wants to divide votes through raising various issues, but BJP and Sena will remain intact in the next poll.
— SANJAY UPADHYAY, North Indian leader, BJP
performed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In a counterattack, Uddhav hijacked the Ram temple issue by visiting Ayodhya and performing maha aarti on the banks of the Sarayu and receiving the blessing of Lord Ram.
“It was not only taking the blessings of the Lord Ram, but was a show of strength by the Sena in Uttar Pradesh, a BJP bastion. By stepping out of Maharashtra, which his father, late Balasaheb Thackeray could not do, Uddhav has managed to shift political focus on him and the Sena for two days,” said a senior Sena leader.
The leader added, “Uddhav has snatched the Hindutva plank from under the nose of the BJP. The coming days will prove how his tour will benefit the party. But, certainly, it is the Sena, who brought the Ram temple issue in the political arena from which the BJP was running away in last four years.”
Sanjay Upadhyay, secretary of the BJP and North Indian leader said, “We are happy Thackeray has raised the Ram temple issue. The Sena is our old friend and he won’t be shortsighted in wooing North Indian voters towards the Sena. Drawing Hindus under party fold was the aim of the BJP. This time around, the Sena has initiated to draw Hindus into its fold, which will help us, too, as Sena is BJP’s an old ally.”
Upadhyay said there are around 24 lakh North Indians in Mumbai and suburbs. “The community is traditional BJP voters and will remain with the BJP, even after the Ayodhya tour of Thackeray. Opposition Congress wants to divide votes through raising various issues, but BJP and Sena will remain intact in next polls,” he claimed.