For each Amit Shah, 10 Shahs of RSS practising communal polarisation: Jairam Ramesh

The BJP is practicing a frightening level of communal polarization in electionbound states and this is a huge challenge for the Congress, its strategist and former minister Jairam Ramesh has said.

In an exclusive interview to PTI, parallel to the Ram Temple buildup in Ayodhya Sunday, Ramesh said for every Amit Shah, the BJP chief, there are 10 Amit Shahs of the RSS practicing covert polarization.

He said the modern name of 'tanashaahi' was Amit Shah and that Narendra Modi was "not prime ministerial" in his campaign as he indulged in "falsification of history and abuse of political rivals".

The senior Congress leader also noted that "false news" was the biggest enterprise in "Make in India" under the Modi government, as he accused the BJP of "manufacturing" issues out of non-issues.

Attributing even the "staggering" UP mandate of the BJP to communal polarization, Ramesh said, "The only explanation I have for the UP win of the BJP is the frightening level of communal polarization which incidentally they have been trying to do in these states also. They are doing this in Chhattisgarh and certainly in MP and Rajasthan."

"One is overt polarization, which is the language used by Mr Amit Shah and PM Narendra Modi. Then there is covert polarization done by the RSS and its people through the word of mouth and house to house," Ramesh said.

"Mr Amit Shah is a good example of a person who preaches and practices the politics of overt polarization" and that "for every Amit Shah there are 10 'Amit Shahs' of the RSS who are practicing and preaching covert polarization. That is what happened in UP," he noted.