With Sanatan-Ram temple poll plank in Rajasthan, BJP tests ground for 2024

“This election is not about caste; it is about Sanatan. This election is being contested for the respect of Sanatan. There is no caste greater than religion. Caste can never be bigger than religion,” Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union minister for Jal Shakti and member of Parliament (MP) from Jodhpur, was heard saying at a poll rally in Rajasthan recently.

And in that statement, he summed up the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) poll plank in Rajasthan, and possibly beyond. If the upcoming Assembly elections in the western Indian state can be considered a test case for the crucial 2024 general elections, the saffron party is making it clear that it will appeal to the religious identity of the majority voters.

Sending a clear message to the voters of Rajasthan, BJP leaders are trying to make Sanatan an election issue in the Assembly polls. The ongoing campaign in Rajasthan seems like a test run for the BJP, where the ruling party is hopeful that by talking about issues like Sanatan Dharma, it will be able to motivate the voters to not just vote in its favour but also counter the caste survey promises of the Congress party at the national level and in the state.

No Muslim among BJP candidates

The BJP is not known for giving Assembly tickets to leaders of the minority community, especially Muslims, but in this aspect, Rajasthan has always been different. The BJP in Rajasthan has always ensured the representation of the minority community in the state Cabinet. Even when Bhairon Singh Shekhawat was the chief minister, there was one minister from the minority community in the Cabinet.

However, the BJP leadership has this time decided not to give a ticket to Yunus Khan, a close confidant of Vasundhara Raje and the sole Muslim representative in her government. After a long time, there will be no Muslim candidate of the BJP in Rajasthan.

With a little over a fortnight left for the polls, senior leaders of the BJP are appealing to the people to not get divided on the basis of caste and come together to protect their religion instead. “There is an attack on religion. This election is a struggle against those attacking the religion,” Shekhawat further said in the election speech mentioned above.

The Congress, under Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, has promised that if it returns to power, his new government will conduct a caste-based survey in Rajasthan along the lines of the Bihar government.

Rajasthan polls part of the 2024 strategy

The tone and tenor of the election campaign seem to indicate that the central leadership of the BJP is using the Rajasthan election to sharpen its electoral strategy for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls when the ruling party will have to contest against the electoral strength of most of the prominent Opposition parties across the country.

The emphasis of the BJP on Sanatan is not only about countering Gehlot’s promise of a caste survey in the state but also about making a determined push to promote the religious identity of the majority community before the polls. The battle of Rajasthan is significant for the BJP, as the party managed to win all 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state in both the 2014 and 2019 general elections. The victories in Rajasthan for a decade have also been a reason for its continuing electoral dominance in most parts of north India during the national polls.

“There are several issues in this election. Corruption in the government and local administration is a major problem for us. The rising diesel prices are also worrisome, as they have increased the cost of agriculture. But instead of discussing these issues, most people think along religious lines. In the end, religion becomes an important factor before voting,” said Laxmi Narayan Sharma, a 38-year-old shop owner in Jugrana village, Alwar.

The Ram temple: Setting the tone for 2024

“We have to celebrate Diwali three times. Let me tell you how. The first Deepawali will be celebrated on Deepawali; the second Deepawali will be celebrated on December 3, after the BJP forms the Rajasthan government, and the third Deepawali will be celebrated on January 22, during the consecration of Lord Rama in the temple in Ayodhya,” Home Minister Amit Shah said at a public meeting in Nagaur, Rajasthan.

Although the issue of the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya has always been part of the BJP’s election manifesto at the national level, the party is now reminding voters in Rajasthan that it was instrumental in the construction of the temple in Ayodhya. With the Lok Sabha elections barely four months away, it is increasingly becoming clear that the BJP will make the construction of Ram temple a major plank of its campaign during the next general elections.

“The BJP is hoping for a consolidation of Hindu votes in its favour in constituencies such as Tijara, where the Congress has fielded Muslim candidates. Since Muslims are present in substantial numbers in some constituencies in eastern Rajasthan, especially in the region closer to Mewat, the BJP, which has fielded Hindu priest and parliamentarian Balak Nath, is hoping its rhetoric centred around Hindutva and Sanatan will help it consolidate Hindu votes and trump the Congress,” said Tabeenah Anjum, author and Jaipur-based political analyst.

Caste census vs Lord Ram

BJP leaders argue that if the opposition parties can talk about caste census and caste surveys in states, the BJP too can talk about the construction of Ram temple because the party was not only involved in the nationwide campaign but also it was PM Modi who laid the foundation stone of Ram temple in Ayodhya. Since the party is morally supporting the construction of the temple, it is obvious to talk about it during public meetings and interactions with people directly, they said.

“For 550 years, Lord Rama was insulted, but the Congress party delayed the construction of the temple for 70 years. When you gave PM Narendra Modi 25 seats in Lok Sabha for the second time, PM has ensured that there is a temple for Lord Rama in Ayodhya after 550 years,” Shah told a gathering of BJP supporters in Nagaur.

Gaza versus Hindutva

Parallels are being drawn with the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict by invoking Hindu religious symbols to appeal to the religious sentiments of the majority community.

When Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath came to campaign for BJP MP from Alwar Baba Balak Nath, who is contesting from the Tijara Assembly constituency, attained a degree of stridency. “Taliban can be cured only by the mace of Lord Bajrang Bali. Are you watching how Israel is crushing the mindset of the Taliban in Gaza?” Yogi Adityanath said during an election rally in Alwar.

“There was hardly a difference of 1 per cent votes between the BJP and the Congress in the 2018 Assembly polls. So, by talking about Ram temple and the war in Gaza, the BJP is trying to polarise the floating voters and get the support of the people who have yet to make up their minds,” said RD Gurjar, a Jaipur-based sociologist and former professor at Rajasthan University.

Anti-Sikh diatribe

Sharing the dais with him, Sandeep Dayma, his party colleague, went a step further to openly claim that the Gurudwaras in the area were like open sores and must be uprooted.

This uncalled-for diatribe has annoyed the Sikh community in Alwar. “It is our appeal to the political leaders that they should not brand us Khalistanis. We are not against the country or any community. Sikhs have always believed in equality. It is sad that the podium of the BJP was used to attack the Sikh community. We protest against people using religion for political benefits,” said Satendra Singh, a farmer, in the Ramgarh constituency.

Even though the BJP top brass moved swiftly and expelled Dayma to control the damage and make amends, senior leaders talk about Kanhaiya Lal, a tailor in Udaipur, who was murdered in June 2022 by Mohammed Riyaz and Mohammed Ghaus. The BJP has repeatedly blamed the ruling Congress for being unable to protect the majority community and for a complete breakdown of law and order in Rajasthan.

“Everybody knows what would have happened if this incident had taken place in Uttar Pradesh,” said the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, referring to the murder, to score a point over the Congress.

Political analysts and experts believe that since the BJP has decided to contest the Assembly elections without naming any chief ministerial candidate, there is a deliberate attempt to appeal to the majority community by deploying its time-tested formula.

The 2011 Census puts the population of Hindus in Rajasthan at 89.4 per cent, whereas Muslims constitute just 9.07 per cent and Sikhs 1.3 per cent. According to a caste-wise population breakup estimated by political analysts, 25 per cent are upper castes, 44 per cent OBCs, 17.83 per cent SCs, and 13.48 per cent Scheduled Tribes (STs).

“It is after several decades that the BJP is contesting Assembly elections in Rajasthan without projecting any leader as its chief ministerial candidate. This is a new strategy for the BJP. Since there is no face of the party, the BJP is appealing to the majority community for support. The BJP’s campaign has a religious tone, and it seems this strategy will continue till the 2024 general elections,” said Avinash Kalla, a Jaipur-based political observer and independent journalist.

The religious overtone of the BJP’s poll campaign in Rajasthan may provide the party with a template for the next general elections if it is able to trounce the ruling Congress from power.