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To counter BJP, Congress 'flags off' Karnataka election campaign

The Congress in Karnataka has constituted a nine-member committee to design a state flag.

By Prabhpreet
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Google Oneindia News

'Desperate times call for desperate measures' is an old expression and nothing describes the actions of politicians around election time better than this.

Karnataka Chief Minister K Siddaramaiah

This should go far in explaining the possible reasons behind Karnataka Chief Minister K Siddaramaiah's decision to get his state a flag of its own. Though such an effort could have been looked at in a different light, the fact that Karnataka is set for polls in less than a year's time before the government completes its term in May, makes it difficult to do so.

An order dated June 6 nominated principal secretary of Kannada and culture department as chairperson of a nine-member committee constituted by the government to design a state flag. The order, signed on behalf of the governor by G Annapurna, under secretary of the Kannada and culture department, reads: "The committee must ready a design for a separate state flag and submit a report on providing it a legal sanctity."

This decision by the Siddaramaiah government can clearly be seen as the beginning of election campaigning by the Congress party and an attempt to push the main opposition, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on the back foot.

Karnataka key to Modi's last challenge of conquering Nehru and Indira's IndiaKarnataka key to Modi's last challenge of conquering Nehru and Indira's India

While the mainstream national media will try to raise its TRP ratings by showing tough questions based on nationalism that they will ask the chief minister in the coming days, according to political calculations made by him, he will be happy to be hounded by them as it would allow him to show himself as the one standing up for the state and the identity of its people.

Such a strategy clearly points to the need of not looking at, a step of trying to get the state its own flag and the political goals it is attempting to achieve, in isolation.

First Hindi, now the Flag

Earlier last month, the capital of Karnataka, Bengaluru, saw protests by pro-Kannada groups against the Hindi signage in the city's metro stations. The matter got a lot of attention from the media and the people, with many locals supporting the calls for removal of such signs. This was in line with the state's overall position of resisting Centre's three-language policy of promoting Hindi along with English and the language of the state.

Congress seems to have taken a leaf out of these protests and decided to use the issue of the flag for the state as well as possible protests against such a step from the other national party to its benefit.

Siddaramaiah will try to use the concept of state identity to pitch it against what he will clearly tell the electorate to be BJP's plan to impose another culture and identity on them, like in the case of Hindi. The language seen to be promoted by BJP, a policy, which has seen the party come under criticism from those belonging to the southern states.

This will also put the state unit of BJP in a bit of a dilemma as the matter has the capacity to force it to choose from either breaking from the stand of the national unit on such an issue or going against the will of the people of the state in case Siddaramaiah's decision picks up ground level support.

The flag controversy in itself is not new to the state. The state unit of the BJP too had flirted with the idea during its tenure, but finally took a stand against it in the state high court where it stated that suggestions to declare the red and yellow Kannada flag as the official state flag had not been accepted. The state unit had gotten away at the time, as the party was not in power at the centre.

At national level, both parties caught in a bind

Whether the strategy works or not for either party at the state level, it is likely to put both the national parties in a bind when it comes to the national arena.

While the Congress once had a national presence with it ruling states in southern states, it is now holding out to its last one. The BJP on the other hand has made significant gains in most other parts of the country, except for the southern states but it has been in power in Karnataka in the past.

It is such a situation that would make the national unit of the Congress, while projecting reservations about the state unit's decision for the national audience, not mind being in a difficult position at the national level. Given the dismal political reality it finds itself in, after losing elections in state after state to the BJP, the party would back its chief minister if it feels Siddaramaiah's tactics could lead to a win.

The BJP at the national level though will not be willing to make such a compromise given the tone of a nationalist agenda that it has been campaigning on in the country. And this is what might be a major cause of worry for the party's state unit.

As a strong display of being against a flag for the state can lead to the state electorate becoming disenchanted with the state leadership of the party and effect the performance in the upcoming election.

And if the party does get labeled in such a way, the BJP's reported plan to get its leaders from other states such as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, among others, for campaigning in order to achieve its 'Mission150' out of 224 seats in the state assembly, will not remain a viable option.

Battleground Karnataka

Though the Congress is currently treating the BJP as the main opposition party, and strategies such as the latest one are directed at it, the voters in the state also have Janata Dal (Secular) as an alternative.

The advantage of Siddaramaiah's latest decision is that JD (S) being a regional party will in all probability have little problems with taking sides with the Congress. This could even lead the way for the two parties to form a 'southern mahagathbandhan' of sorts. A preview of which was seen earlier this year in two bypolls where following an understanding between them the JD (S) did not put up candidates, which led to easy wins for the Congress.

Such a call would also depend on how seriously they would take the gauntlet thrown at them by the BJP, which by all the evidence of election results in different parts of the country and statements by those within the party show that the national party is going to go full throttle in its attempts to wrest back control of the state from the Congress.

Especially since BS Yeddyurappa, former Chief Minister of the state and BJP's most popular leader, who had left the party before the last elections to form his own, is now not only back but also leading it. In doing so, what was seen as one of the major causes behind BJP's defeat in 2013 has also been taken care of.

Identity politics and the threat it carries

Given the fact that Karnataka is the last major state where the Congress is still in power, the desperation to do anything to keep it can be understood to some extent. But the fact that the strategy, which might rile up feeling in the people of the state in a way that it can see them pitted against the rest of the country, might be a step too far. In particular as the situation in other parts of the country like Kashmir, Gorkhaland are already on a boil.

Keeping in mind the diverse nature of India, the makers of the constitution made sure that the form of federalism chosen for India was different to that of a country like US, where each state has its own flag and other distinct features. This was done to make sure that separatist feeling which might take birth in a large and diverse but a newly formed country does not lead to its break up with states seceding from the Union. Though the present case in Karnataka is mostly based in politics, if the issue picks up momentum it could get out of hand.

And if similar calls are made across the country the unity of the country could very well be threatened. While genuine concerns related to imposition of culture alien to the local population might require action and the need to be protested against, the probability that politicians might try to not only use these for their gain but also manufacture new ones for the same should come as a warning to the country.

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