The senior Congress leader, Digvijaya Singh has stoked a fresh controversy ahead of Madhya Pradesh assembly polls. As per a report in Republic TV, while addressing a public rally in the state, the former MP Chief Minister made some objectionable statements, asserting that he had been receiving a bad name for helping the Muslims and Dalits because they are being constantly threatened from different sections of society.
“Congress workers have been dying for 15 years. He has been receiving a bad name, he has been going to jail. He has been dragged into false cases and still, we(BJP) are working in the direction of defeating Congress? They should be ashamed. I am quite sad. I am in deep grief as I am making this speech in front of you. Dalits are being threatened. Muslims are being threatened. Why are you Muslims afraid when your leader Digvijaya Singh is here. I have been infamous for helping Dalits and Muslims,” said Digvijaya Singh during an election rally.
The Congress has been busy dialling up its Hindutva image in Madhya Pradesh before the state assembly elections.
Retaliating to these statements former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and BJP leader Uma Bharti attacked the Congress party for always resorting to caste-based politics. “Congress has always been a party that plays the caste card. They have always indulged into communalism. It has divided the country in the name of religion. They have attacked the Sikhs in the name of caste. It is an opportunist party. It is a party that believes in superstitions. It has resulted in the degradation of the country. It has only divided the country in the name of caste and religion,” said Uma Bharti while speaking to reporters in the matter.
Recently, a video had surfaced where party veteran, Kamalnath was caught on camera resolving to use the Muslim card, weeks before the Madhya Pradesh state elections. In a ‘behind-closed-door-meeting’, Kamal Nath was perceived saying that ‘only the Muslim votes can make the Congress party win’. He is the same person who had promised that a Gaushala will be built at every Panchayat in the state of Madhya Pradesh. These statements coming from a Congress veteran have exposed the devious intent of the party which has made Soft Hindutva in public, minority appeasement in private and creating caste divide in secret its latest mantra.
However, these kinds of untimed statements from senior party members may cause troubled predicaments for the Congress party who has been lately trying its best to project its ‘soft-Hindutva’ image.
Congress’ approach towards wooing voters always seem to be caste or community-based. It has earlier too projected its predisposition towards the minority community. So far so a decade ago the Congress-led UPA government had submitted before the supreme court that “there was no historical proof of Lord Ram”.
Continuing in this context, in December, the Congress party had decided to maintain ambiguity over its stance on Ram Mandir by refraining from commenting on the matter. The explanation was given then, that it would be unfair to comment on a matter that is sub-judice. Its senior leader Kapil Sibal though was making other noises, with reports claiming that he was trying to delay the verdict in the matter, by openly trying to push the issue beyond the 2019 elections.
Rahul Gandhi furthering the anti-Hindu stance, which his party actually, fundamentally, believes in, had told the US ambassador that Hindu extremists were a bigger threat to India in the context of the Lashkar-e-taiba.
Besides this Hindu terror bogey, was the infamous communal violence bill which the Congress-led UPA government wanted to enact. All this is apart from the noise made by the state level leadership of the Congress, which includes Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah asking for the opinion of district heads regarding withdrawal of cases lodged against people from the minority community.
For a party that has been in power for the major part of India’s independent history, Congress’ tactic of bringing caste, religion, and communities rather than issues of development as their election agenda only exposes its own failure. As the 2019 general elections draw close, the once grand party of India’s politics seems to be fighting a desperate battle.
