![Kannada pride to neutralize Hindutva: Karnataka Congress focuses on poll strategy Kannada pride to neutralize Hindutva: Karnataka Congress focuses on poll strategy](https://images.indianexpress.com/2022/06/FotoJet-2022-06-30T183717.895-logo-1.jpg)
With the crucial general election in Karnataka less than a year away, Congress is slowly preparing for battle and its senior leadership seems to have decided to focus on invoking Kannada pride as a political antidote to the BJP’s Hindutva push .
Over the past two days, Congress Chair Rahul Gandhi and central leadership, including All India Congress Committee (AICC) Secretary-General for State Randeep Surjewala and AICC Secretary-General (Organization) KC Venugopal, have spent several hours discussing the political situation to discuss former Prime Minister Siddaramaiah and President of the State Congress DK Shivakumar.
It was clear that the party should go its own way and not ally itself with the Janata Dal (secular) — the two parties formed the government in 2018 and campaigned together for the Lok Sabha elections the following year — and that they would also deal with projection a collective leadership model should go into the elections.
Siddaramaiah is aware that the party should not engage in soft Hindutva and take strong positions against attempts to attack the constitutional rights of minorities. He is said to have told the leadership that the party should have taken a strong position in the hijab ranks.
Sources in Congress said its internal polls showed Islamist groups, including the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), are slowly making inroads into the Muslim community, a reverse polarization that is not good news for the party.
Given that the Congress leadership believes that invoking Kannada pride can be an antidote to Hindutva, during an interaction with a select group of journalists here, when asked about the introduction of soft Hindutva as a tactic, Siddaramaiah replied: ” What is Soft Hindutva? There is nothing better than gentle Hindutva. Can there be a diluted secularism? We believe in secularism and the protection of everyone’s constitutional rights. They (BJP) believe in Hindutva.”
Former Karnataka CM claimed that the BJP government in the state has no programs for oppressed people. “They make these Hindutva issues, they project Hindutva issues… polarization of voices. This is how they try to win over the voters. We go to people with certain programs, alternative programs. Last time we failed to market or reach people with our programs. This time we change our approach. For example, if we say this polarization of the voices they project, we will say that Kannada, our language, is our pride. They try to put Hindi indirectly instead of Kannada. We will emphasize that.”
At length, Siddarammaiah said: “During (the regime of) Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar there was a Mysore Bank (established). Likewise Corporation Bank, Vijaya Bank and Syndicate Bank. All of these banks have been merged with other banks. Around 75,000 employees were there. Now they have merged with other banks. Kannadigas doesn’t get jobs. Narendra Modi did this. Kannadigas got jobs in these banks. Now the majority of Kannadigas don’t get jobs, only Hindi speaking people get (jobs) and these banks were built by Kannadigas.”
At the same time, the congress leader claimed that his party was not against Hindi. Referring to the decades-old Sarojini-Mahishi report that recommended Kannadigas a certain percentage of jobs in all sectors, he said the report had not been fully implemented.
“We are committed to the full implementation of the Mahishi report. That’s number one. Second, Kannada is of paramount importance in Karnataka. We will only award the Class 2, 3 and 4 posts to Kannadigas,” he added.
Congress will also release the Kantharaj Commission’s socio-economic survey report or caste count if it comes to power. “100 percent,” Siddaramaiah replied when asked if the report would be made public. Siddaramaiah belongs to the backward class of the Kuruba community and is among the leading BC leaders in Karnataka.
Interestingly, just a few days ago, he said that the caste system in India was a kind of reservation system where only members of certain castes could get education and enjoy wealth, and that reservations were necessary to overcome the social inequalities caused by the caste system.
Siddaramaiah downplayed the differences between him and Shivakumar, claiming that they were on good terms. “There are no differences between me and Shivakumar. All leaders are united. And we want to go to the polls as one.”
When asked if he would be the party’s prime ministerial face, the former CM sounded wary. “The MLAs and the high command will choose the prime minister after the election.”
Referring to the talks with Rahul and the central leadership, he said: “The discussion was about how to get back to power. Elections are coming up in nine months. We discussed so many strategies. What is the political situation in Karnataka today? what are the problems What are the mistakes of this government? Why did we lose the 2018 election? How we should correct all these mistakes we have made and how to bring the party to power in the next elections. Because the political situation in Karnataka is in favor of Congress.”