BJP changes gear in Karnataka Poll; Amit Shah unveils Hindutva card

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By Our Special Correspondent

New Delhi, April 25: With political heat stepping up on the trail of May 10 Karnataka Assembly elections, Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah has sought to steer the agenda to hard Hindutva. Until now, the BJP had been harping on the double-engine government of the BJP at the Centre and Karnataka.

Taking off from his Telangana poll pitch, Shah has sought to bring Muslim reservation to the centre stage of the election campaign. Also, Shah has turned the spotlight on the ban imposed by the Central government on the Popular Front of India (PFI).

Congress had introduced four per cent reservation for Muslims in 2004 in Andhra Pradesh (Telangana was carved out in 2013). Four per cent reservation for Muslims were also introduced in Karnataka subsequently. The Karnataka government has put on hold the decision to scrap the four per cent reservation for Muslims as Supreme Court hears the petition challenging the decision. Karnataka government claims that the Muslim quota has not been scrapped, but only moved into a larger category of 10 per reservation for economically weaker sections (EWS).

“Let a BJP government be formed in Telangana then we will abolish the unconstitutional reservation for Muslims,” said Shah in a rally in Telangana.

He later followed up the issue in Karnataka where he said that the “rightful claims of Linagayata and Vokkaliga were taken away by Congress to give four per cent reservation to Muslims”. Shah also claimed that Congress would seek to revoke the ban on the PFI, which will never be allowed. He also alleged that the Congress government in the state had freed the PFI activists.

By turning spotlight on PFI ban and Muslim reservation (under judicial review), Shah is seemingly seeking to prepare the pitch for the Hindutva poster boys such as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to raise the poll pitch in Karnataka.

The BJP chief JP Nadda in his several meetings with intellectuals has so far kept the focus on the double-engine government plank – infrastructure development and welfare scheme delivery.

The BJP’s ploy to prepare double-pitch for the Karnataka elections is seemingly in response to Congress’ aggressive canvassing on welfarism, which includes the likes of unemployment allowances, Rs 2000 per month to women, free electricity, 10 kg free rice scheme, etc.