‘Ek hai toh safe hai’: Polarising politics lets Maharashtra voters down

Nov 18, 2024 01:00 IST First published on: Nov 18, 2024 astatine 03:00 IST

In Maharashtra, 1 of India’s astir industrialised states, location to the country’s fiscal capital, the governmental idiom this predetermination play is not astir the government’s infrastructure propulsion oregon adjacent employment and the broader economy. The presumption for electioneering look to person been acceptable by 2 polarising slogans — “Batenge toh katenge,” raised archetypal by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and “Ek hai to harmless hai,” archetypal deployed by the Prime Minister during the run trail. These slogans could beryllium seen arsenic a rallying effort by the BJP aft its mediocre showing successful the authorities successful the wide elections. But that would beryllium simplistic. The saffron enactment seems to beryllium adopting the polarising strategy that was greatly instrumental successful it becoming the ascendant unit successful Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and elsewhere successful the Hindi heartland astatine the crook of the past century. However, erstwhile CM Ashok Chavan, a caller entrant to the BJP from the Congress, and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, the party’s state successful the Mahayuti, look to person distanced themselves from the slogans.

With 2 Shiv Senas and 2 NCPs successful the premix — and the anticipation of leaders jumping vessel — the choices earlier the Maharashtra elector look to beryllium excessively many. But lone connected paper. Ideological shortage seems to beryllium a pronounced diagnostic of the state’s authorities today. That’s wherefore it’s important to not miss the discourse of the 2 slogans. Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis seemed to beryllium echoing respective enactment leaders erstwhile helium told this newspaper: “We saw that successful the Lok Sabha polls, Congress indulged successful ballot jihad… created divisions on caste lines… So, ‘batenge toh katenge’ and ‘ek hain toh harmless hain’ are affirmative slogans for unity.” The BJP is attempting to broaden the Hindutva basal by including some OBCs and Marathas, successful summation to consolidating the upper-caste vote. This is successful enactment with the method which led to the emergence of the enactment successful the 1990s erstwhile it played up some the Ram Temple question arsenic good arsenic promoted a procreation of Dalit and OBC leaders. Religious polarisation, then, serves 2 goals for the BJP — grow the “Hindutva” fold arsenic good arsenic unafraid electoral gains for it. In the wide elections, the MVA and INDIA’s connection was that a definitive bulk for the BJP could mean an extremity to preservation benefits for Bahujans. Now, the BJP’s antagonistic is that unless Hindus are united, benefits — including preservation — volition beryllium usurped by spiritual minorities.