By Pradeep Kapoor
LUCKNOW: Shocked by the loss of three Lok Sabha and one assembly seats in the by-elections, BJP is invoking both Kandal and Mandal to retain the 73 seats it won in 2014 in the coming Lok Sabha elections.
The BJP leadership is now talking of reservation politics as well as construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya as soon as possible. The civil society was shocked when BJP-linked sant and member of Ram Janam Bhumi Nyas said in the presence of CM Yogi Adityanath in Ayodhya that the Ram temple construction will take place in the same manner as the controversial structure (Babri Mosque) was demolished on December 6, 1992.
Vedanti further said that whatever happened in Ayodhya for the temple movement had nothing to do with court orders. He warned that if construction of the temple was not started before 2019 then it would adversely affect the prospects of BJP.
A large number of Pro-BJP sants who attended the 80th birthday celebration of Ram Janam Bhumi Trust Mahant Nritya Gopal demanded that Yogi Adityanath should fulfill his promise before the assembly polls regarding construction of temple during the BJP regime.
Yogi, however, advised the sants that they should wait for the court verdict, which would come very soon and then only can the construction take place. But he said construction of the temple was the desire of cores of people in India. The Ram Janam Bhumi and Babri Mosque case is pending before the Supreme Court. The Yogi government has launched several schemes for the development of Ayodhya to promote religious tourism and to keep the issue alive.
On the other hand, BJP is also aggressively playing the reservation card to win over the backward sections, the most backwards and dalits. In fact, Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh, who as UP CM presided over the demolition of the mosque in Ayodhya, gave a call in Lucknow to backward classes to fight for reservation.
Attending a programme of backward classes to celebrate the birth anniversary of the late VP Singh, Kalyan Singh asked the members of backward classes to defend their reservation and fight for it. He gave credit to VP Singh for successfully implementing the Mandal Commission recommendations.
The Yogi government is also planning to give adequate reservation to the most backward classes within the quota of backward classes. During his recent visit to Lucknow Home Minister Rajnath Singh assured that his government would safeguard reservation in promotions as promised by the government order. A deputation of those opposing reservation in promotions also met Rajnath Singh and warned him that if the government failed to revoke the order, the government employees would be forced to go on strike.
BJP is also playing the dalit card by promising better policies and programmes for their welfare to ensure their better participation in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. There is no doubt that in the 2014 elections BJP had got good support from the backward classes and dalits.
But the recent alliance of Samajwadi Party, BSP and RLD has unnerved the BJP leadership, which is desperate to play both the Kandal and mandal cards to retain its seats and increase its vote share in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. (IPA Service)
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