As he faces testing time in the poll bound Karnataka, Congress president Rahul Gandhi will officially launch his party’s election campaign on Saturday in his new found zeal and soft Hindutava a change in political strategy of the century old party in Hyderabad Karnataka region.
His four day visit in six districts of Karnataka, Bellary, Koppal, Raichur, Yelaburga, Yadgir and Bidar reminds of 1999 parliament elections when his mother Sonia Gandhi had fought Sushma Swaraj of the BJP. The political pundits say at the age of 29 for Rahul Gandhi it was the first big exposure to an election where Sonia Gandhi even though won opted for Amethi and quit Bellary. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (she was 27) campaigned extensively for Sonia Gandhi indicating they were to take on the mantle of the Congress.
His choice to launch his party’s elections campaign as president of the party now in this crucial assembly polls from Bellary shows to cultivate the Hyderabad Karnataka a reminiscent of the past. Bellary is significant for the Congress in the state which brought the party to power in 2013 after seven years in the opposition. The 350 kms padayatra by Siddaramaiah to Bellary before the previous assembly polls has brought them to power and also made Siddaramaiah to take over the congress mantle. The Bellary elections in 1999 has also gave rise to the Reddy brothers who ruled Bellary as a republic until the BJP lost the plot to the illegal mining and its consequences.
A congress leader said that this time Rahul is matured and is the head of the party . He also said there are no challengers like Reddy brothers to him and the congress. Politically the BJP has kept away from Gali Janardhana Reddy who is out on bail. B Sriramulu who is a sitting MP merged his party with the BJP and Yeddyurappa is betting big on his own strategies to fight Rahul and Siddaramaiah. Anand Singh one of the rich minors who was also involved in illegal mining has quit BJP and joined Congress to welcome Rahul and his politics.
According to his programme after launching the Congress poll campaign at a public meeting in Hospet near Hampi, Rahul Gandhi will cross the river Thungabhadra to enter neighbouring Koppal district. On Sunday evening, he will reach Raichur district. On Monday, Rahul Gandhi will cross the mighty river Krishna to land in Congress stalwart Mallikarjuna Kharge’s stronghold Gulbarga (Kalburgi) and Yadagiri districts. After addressing a few public meetings in Bidar district on Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi will fly back to New Delhi. His itinerary include visiting few temples representing many Hindu communities. He will be visiting Huligamma temple, Gavi Siddeshwara Mutt, Kwaja Bande Nawaz Dargah and conclude his temple hopping at Anubhava Mantapa, established by the 12th century great social reformer Basaveshwara or Basavanna in Basava Kalyana near Bidar.
State Congress President G Parameshwara, a dalit leader who cherishes the ambition to become the chief minister to take on Siddaramaiah says Hindu temple hopping by President Rahul Gandhi was a routine exercise but nothing soft Hindutva in it. For him Rahul’s over 25 temple visit along with a dharga in not at all appeasement politics but just a routine affair.
After PM Narendra Modi’s massive rally in Bengaluru which changed the political equations, Rahul Gandhi is playing a decisive politics in the poll bound Karnataka.
Siddaramaiah who is playing appeasement politics to the hilt has been widely criticised by the dominant communities. In Karnataka election too much like the recent Gujarat Assembly election, religious symbolism is a recurring theme in the political campaign of the congress. The recent killings of BJP and RSS workers have also led to a kind of polarisation which might help BJP in certain pockets to take on the Congress.