Congress, in its manifesto released yesterday in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, has vowed to not allow RSS Shakhas in government buildings.
#Congress in its manifesto in #MadhyaPradesh has said if the party comes to power then RSS ‘shakhas’ would not be allowed in Government buildings and premises, also earlier order to allow Govt employees to attend RSS ‘shakhas’ will be revoked. pic.twitter.com/XuCRsbCY9F
— ANI (@ANI) November 11, 2018
The 112-page manifesto also asserted that the order issued earlier to allow government employees to attend ‘Shakhas’ of RSS will also be revoked.
However, banning the ‘Shakhas’ from the government buildings may get Congress an applause from the ‘intellectuals’ circle, it may not necessarily convert into votes.
“In Madhya Pradesh, Congressis are not anti-Hindu. They are also not the activists or NGO type. In fact, many Congress leaders themselves maybe RSS members. This is neither unheard of nor unthinkable. This promise in the Congress manifesto wreaks of Delhi elitism and activist view and may backfire in Madhya Pradesh,” Ashish Chandorkar, author and political analyst told OpIndia.
Many believe that this posturing might not help Congress in actual electoral terms, as RSS-bashing is more of an ‘intellectual grandstanding’ than real politics. “Both Congress and BJP in Madhya Pradesh are known for infighting, though Congress suffers more from it. I think this promise to ban RSS is a result of Delhi mindset, which will get applauded in Delhi newsrooms but will not help them in getting any extra votes,” said a source close to the RSS.
Congress is known to play divisive politics. Earlier in May, Congress had demanded that the entry of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat be banned in Bihar stating that he ‘represents hateful ideas’. When former President and Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee addressed RSS cadres at Nagpur, he recieved a lot of flak from his former colleagues. Not only that, Days after Congress President Rahul Gandhi compared Muslim Brotherhood to the RSS, Congress IT cell head Divya Spandana drew parallels between the two on social media.
Which is kind of amusing since many Congress supporting ‘activists’ and commentators have often pointed out how local Congress units often try to reach out to some sections of RSS.
Congress MLA candidate from kukshi surendra baghel(Honey)working with @RSSorg Pracharak @digvijaya_28 @RahulGandhi @INCMP @INCIndia @vidyarthee @rssurjewala pic.twitter.com/FMunOC3qW8
— Dr.ANAND RAI (@anandrai177) November 10, 2018
However, taking on the RSS is not the only thing Congress has vowed. Continuing its ‘soft-Hindutva‘ approach, Congress has promised an ‘Adhyatmik Vibhag’ (spiritual department) as well as plans to promote the Sanskrit language. Congress also reportedly talks about developing the ‘Ram Path’ the route which Lord Ram is believed to have taken during his 14 years in exile. Congress has also promised commercial production of ‘gau mutra’ (cow urine) and cow dung as well as setting up of ‘gau shala’ (cowshed) in every village panchayat.
With elections coming closer, Congress has upped their ante to show that they are a ‘Hindu-friendly’ party. While Congress leader Randeep Surjewala had announced Rahul Gandhi has ‘Brahmin samaj DNA’, Kamal Nath had promised a ‘gau shala’ in every panchayat. After his recent pilgrimage to Mansarovar, posters of Rahul Gandhi posing as a Shiv-bhakt had also appeared across Madhya Pradesh.
Madhya Pradesh is one of the five states to go for elections over the next few weeks. The voting will take place on 28th November and the counting will happen on 11th December.
