How Lord Hanuman has taken centre stage in Karnataka politics

Lord Hanuman has taken centre-stage in the Karnataka elections after the Congress in its manifesto said that it would ban the Bajrang Dal if voted to power.

The Congress also said that outfits such as the Bajrang Dal and Popular Front of India would be banned if the party is voted to power on May 10.

The BJP is going to town with the issue, while the Congress is attempting damage control. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D K Shivakumar said that the Congress government would launch a special programme to develop all historical Hanuman Temples in Karnataka. He said that an Anjanadri Development Board will be establish.

"We, especially Kannadigas, are the devotees of Anjaneya, as we believe that Anjaneya was born here. To strengthen that feeling, we will come up with organisations in each district to uphold the principles of Anjaneya, with programmes to empower youth, Shivakumar told reporters in Mysuru.

The buzz in the Congress circles is that there was no proper consultation on the issue before the manifesto was made public. There was some miscommunication between the central and state leadership over this point in the manifesto, a source told OneIndia. Senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily known to be close to the central leadership said that the organisation could not be banned if they functioned according to the Constitution. He also made it clear that a state government did not have the power to ban an organisation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi while speaking at rally in Hospet called the promise made by the Congress to ban the Bajrang Dal an attempt to lock up Hanuman and his devotees who chant 'Jai Bajrangbali.' In all the three public meetings the PM made it a point to chant Jai Bajrangbali.'

Senior BJP leader K S Eshwarappa burnt a copy of the election manifesto of the Congress, while attacking the party for proposing a ban on the Bajrang Dal.

Leading political analyst, Dr. Sandeep Shastri tells OneIndia that this was something that he was anticipating towards the end of the campaign. He Congress had the upper hand during the campaign. They were riding high on the strong sentiment of anti-incumbency and the BJP was on the back foot he added.

"The Congress has a knack of creating a station where a winning opportunity was diluted. Here they have presented an opportunity by seeking a ban on the Bajrang Dal. It has changed the entire debate in the state," he added.

On whether the Bajrang Dal issue will impact the voting pattern in the state, Dr. Shastri says that those who support the BJP will remain committed to the party. The crucial issue is whether it would enhance the votes of the BJP, he adds.
The second point is that the vote for the BJP on the Hindu card had reached a saturation point in the 2018 elections. That is why the BJP had not emphasised on the same this time," he added.

"What needs to be seen is whether this new focus of the campaign take away attention from the Congress. The Congress had the upper hand all along and had focused heavily on the performance of the BJP government. Whether the Bajrang Dal issue will take away the unhappiness with the BJP in the state is to be seen," Dr. Shastri added.

Another way to look at the issue would be with regard to the Muslim votes. Our survey CSDS-Lokniti showed that 60 per cent of the Muslims are with the Congress, while the remaining were with the JD(S) and BJP Can this issue result in a further consolidation of Muslim votes favour of the Congress is what would be interesting to watch.