This Article is From Aug 18, 2014

In RSS Chief's 'Equality Among Hindus' Mantra, A Hint of Poll Strategy

In RSS Chief's 'Equality Among Hindus' Mantra, A Hint of Poll Strategy

RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat addresses an event in Mumbai to mark 50 years of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

Mumbai: Mohan Bhagwat, the chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or the RSS, has called for "equality among Hindus" in a social message that is loaded with political implications ahead of polls later this year in two key states, Maharashtra and Haryana.

At a function in Mumbai on Sunday, Mr Bhagwat said, "For the next 5 years we have to work with the aim of bringing equality among all the Hindus in the country. All Hindus should be drinking water at one place, should be praying at one place and after their death, their bodies should be burnt at the same place."

The RSS is the ideological mentor of the BJP and its grassroots network is seen as invaluable to the party's election campaigns.

In the RSS chief's comment, many read a political strategy to win over Dalits and consolidate Hindu votes in Maharashtra and Haryana - a factor that is believed to have contributed to the BJP's sweep in Uttar Pradesh in the national election.

In a campaign fronted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's close aide Amit Shah, now BJP chief, the party won 71 of 80 seats in UP, India's most politically vital state.

The polarization of Hindu votes after the Muzaffarnagar communal violence in September last year, which was seen to have dissolved the deep-rooted caste lines in the state, helped the BJP that has for years been perceived as a party for upper caste Hindus.

In the absence of a divisive factor like the Muzaffarnagar riots, the BJP is reportedly banking on the "equality among Hindus" mantra in Maharashtra and Haryana.

Many in the BJP believe the upcoming state polls could be seen as a referendum on the new Narendra Modi government, which took charge in May, and it is important to reaffirm the party's winning mandate in these states.

At the same function on Sunday, Mohan Bhagwat also controversially said "Hindustan Hindu Rashtra Hai (India is a country of Hindus),"  repeating what he had said last week.

Congress leader Manish Tewari told NDTV, "It is very evident that with the active connivance of the central government there is an attempt towards religious polarisation."
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