As polls near, polarisation up

It was none other Prime Minister Narendra Modi who said the “Congress dynast went out with a microscope to look for a safe seat to contest and selected a seat where the majority is in minority”, because “they fear Hindu anger”, referring to then Congress president Rahul Gandhi opting for Wayanad to contest the last Lok Sabha elections. He is on record saying “you can identify those who create violence by their clothes itself”, referring to those protesting the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019. He also had no qualms dragging his predecessor, Manmohan Singh, into controversy.

A careful look at these communally charged references would reveal that the BJP leader was resorting to such innuendo in the face of some or the other election. And now, Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of India’s most populous state, is positioning himself as a worthy successor to Mr Modi. The Yogi had no compunction saying in a public function that “only people who say ‘Abba Jaan’ used to get ration in the state,” implying that only Muslims had access to the public distribution system before 2017.

The blatant communal reference has kicked up a furore with almost all parties, including BJP’s NDA ally, the Janata Dal (United), expressing its disagreement. Of course, they can afford to protest but the BJP or its chief minister in Uttar Pradesh are left with few options other than invoke communal passions in a bid to return to power in 2022. After all, it has little to show for itself.