Debate: Will polarisation help the BJP?

Polarisation or dividing the votes into communal lines seems to be the BJP's favourite card ahead of every election. BJP lawmaker, Sanjay Patil, has said that the upcoming Karnataka Assembly election is not about roads and drinking water, but about Hindus and Muslims. Another BJP lawmaker Ananth Kumar Hegde has also made several controversial remarks leading up to the elections. Even before the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections last year, several BJP leaders had resorted to making communally charged remarks.

Is it a planned move by the BJP to divide voters into communal lines? Do these leaders get directions from the top brass to make such remarks? Will this polarisation strategy work in Karnataka? Please write in the comment box below and let us know your views.