With the stage set for the return of Ms Uma Bharti to the BJP and her increased role in UP politics, the BJP in UP is all set to return to its Hindutva plank.
The BJP high command’s decision to relocate Ms Bharti to Uttar Pradesh where the party lacks charismatic leadership is being seen as a clear signal for the party cadres to pick up the Hindutva line.
“After the Ayodhya verdict, the Samajwadi Party has started playing the Muslim card with a vengeance and time is now ripe for us to return to our basic Hindutva agenda. Besides, Uma Bharti is known for her pro-Hindutva line and her presence in state politics will help us polarise our traditional Hindu vote base in our favour. Besides, the BJP will have to return to the Hindutva plank to regain lost glory,” said a senior party functionary.
By putting Ms Uma Bharti in UP’s political cauldron, the BJP high command is aiming at killing two birds with one stone. The party wants to marginalise the influence of former BJP leader Kalyan Singh who has also been pursuing an aggressive Hindutva line after he severed his ties with the Samajwadi party last year.
Mr Kalyan Singh could pose a threat to the BJP — more so, after the manner in which his fledgling Jan Kranti Party rose to the second position in the recent Nidhauli Kalan Assembly bypoll, pushing BJP to the fourth position. Ms Bharti is aptly suited to counter the Kalyan factor where the Hindu vote base is concerned. “In fact, Uma Bharti is recognised as a bigger supporter of Hindutva than Kalyan Singh who has diluted the ideology whenever he has been in power,” the party functionary explained.
Secondly, the BJP also plans to use Ms Uma Bharti to dilute Mr Kalyan Singh’s clout as a Lodh caste leader. Ms Bharti also belongs to the Lodh caste and enjoys excellent relations with the local Lodh leaders in central and western UP and also in Bundelkhand. “Once Uma Bharti gets going, it will be difficult for Kalyan Singh to counter her,” the functionary said.