On Thursday, Varanasi stood still for over three hours as Narendra Modi marched to file his nomination papers. But on the sidelines, some of the residents of the city were heatedly debating a pamphlet that they allege is part of an insidious attempt to turn the election into a Hindu-versus-Muslim tussle.
The pamphlet, addressed to “Muslim brothers of Varanasi”, did not carry the name of any political party. Issued by one Shrinath Tripathi, it suggested that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s candidature is the unanimous choice of all Hindus and asked the minority community to “strengthen brotherhood” by supporting Modi in Varanasi.
“Muslim brothers of Banaras know that when Murli Manohar Joshi could not be defeated [in 2009 election], how is it possible to stop Modi in this wave,” the pamphlet read.
“It is certain that the country’s sole prime ministerial candidate Shri Narendra Modi will win the election from Varanasi parliamentary seat,” it declared. “The only issue which is being debated is what would be the margin of his victory.”
The pamphlet has refocused public attention on the kind of Hindutva politics that many residents of Varanasi fear will increase if Modi wins. The high-voltage Modi campaign and the culture of intolerance it is generating are being watched with deep anxiety by many of Varanasi’s residents. They fear that that it will greatly damage the city’s syncretic culture.
Varanasi prides itself on being the centre of Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb, the confluence of Hindu and Muslim elements.
Many residents have already been alarmed by statements made by leaders of Sangh Parivar in recent days. A few days ago, Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Pravin Togadia advised an audience in Bhavnagar in Gujarat to prevent Muslims from buying property in areas where Hindus are in the majority. Last week, a prominent BJP leader in Bihar, Giriraj Kishore, said Narendra Modi’s critics should leave the country and go to Pakistan. A few weeks back, Amit Shah, Modi’s lieutenant and the BJP’s man in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, said at a meeting in western UP, where communal riots last year had left dozens dead, that the election was an opportunity “to take revenge” and “to teach a lesson to those who have done injustice”.
Muslims form 15% of Vararansi’s population and are crucial for any electoral victory. During the last Lok Sabha election, the BJP’s Murli Manohar Joshi defeated Bahujan Samaj Party’s candidate Mukhtar Ansari by just 17,000 votes. Long-time observers of the constituency say that Ansari had been leading through much of the day, but that votes were canvassed on religious lines in the afternoon to ensure Joshi’s victory.
This time, all the three main candidates – Modi, Arvind Kejriwal of Aam Aadmi Party and Ajai Rai of Congress – are Hindu. For Varanasi’s Muslims, the choice is between Kejriwal and Rai. If the community as a whole decides to throw its weight behind one of them, the BJP could be in trouble when the constituency goes to the polls on May 12.
This pamphlet, observers say, is an another attempt by the saffron party to polarise voters on the basis of religion.
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The pamphlet, addressed to “Muslim brothers of Varanasi”, did not carry the name of any political party. Issued by one Shrinath Tripathi, it suggested that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s candidature is the unanimous choice of all Hindus and asked the minority community to “strengthen brotherhood” by supporting Modi in Varanasi.
“Muslim brothers of Banaras know that when Murli Manohar Joshi could not be defeated [in 2009 election], how is it possible to stop Modi in this wave,” the pamphlet read.
“It is certain that the country’s sole prime ministerial candidate Shri Narendra Modi will win the election from Varanasi parliamentary seat,” it declared. “The only issue which is being debated is what would be the margin of his victory.”
The pamphlet has refocused public attention on the kind of Hindutva politics that many residents of Varanasi fear will increase if Modi wins. The high-voltage Modi campaign and the culture of intolerance it is generating are being watched with deep anxiety by many of Varanasi’s residents. They fear that that it will greatly damage the city’s syncretic culture.
Varanasi prides itself on being the centre of Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb, the confluence of Hindu and Muslim elements.
Many residents have already been alarmed by statements made by leaders of Sangh Parivar in recent days. A few days ago, Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Pravin Togadia advised an audience in Bhavnagar in Gujarat to prevent Muslims from buying property in areas where Hindus are in the majority. Last week, a prominent BJP leader in Bihar, Giriraj Kishore, said Narendra Modi’s critics should leave the country and go to Pakistan. A few weeks back, Amit Shah, Modi’s lieutenant and the BJP’s man in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, said at a meeting in western UP, where communal riots last year had left dozens dead, that the election was an opportunity “to take revenge” and “to teach a lesson to those who have done injustice”.
Muslims form 15% of Vararansi’s population and are crucial for any electoral victory. During the last Lok Sabha election, the BJP’s Murli Manohar Joshi defeated Bahujan Samaj Party’s candidate Mukhtar Ansari by just 17,000 votes. Long-time observers of the constituency say that Ansari had been leading through much of the day, but that votes were canvassed on religious lines in the afternoon to ensure Joshi’s victory.
This time, all the three main candidates – Modi, Arvind Kejriwal of Aam Aadmi Party and Ajai Rai of Congress – are Hindu. For Varanasi’s Muslims, the choice is between Kejriwal and Rai. If the community as a whole decides to throw its weight behind one of them, the BJP could be in trouble when the constituency goes to the polls on May 12.
This pamphlet, observers say, is an another attempt by the saffron party to polarise voters on the basis of religion.