Opinion | Hindu card: Why Mamata revealed her gotra?
With stories coming in of a number of Trinamool and BJP supporters killed and injured in violence, polling is underneath approach for the second part of meeting polls in West Bengal. All eyes are on Nandigram, the place massive variety of voters turned out in queues to vote. Nandigram is witnessing a conflict of personalities – between chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her ex-loyalist Suvendu Adhikari.
Mamata Banerjee stayed in Nandigram the complete night time on Wednesday to supervise her social gathering brokers making ready for the polls. All roads resulting in Nandigram have been sealed by safety forces, to cease miscreants from coming into the realm. Twenty two firms of central armed police forces have been posted to make sure peaceable polling in Nandigram. There was stress amongst Hindu and Muslim voters in a number of pockets.
It seems as if the votes in Nandigram are being polarized. On Wednesday, Mamata Banerjee revealed that she belonged to Shandilya gotra, one of many eight high Brahmin gotras. This was apparently a message she wished to convey to Hindu voters, who have been leaning in direction of BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari. BJP leaders replied with slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’. Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears to have modified the paradigm of Mamata’s politics in Bengal.
Soon after Mamata revealed her gotra, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi made caustic remarks. Owaisi alleged, a lot of the political events have been now enjoying, what he referred to as, the ‘Hindu card’ in Bengal polls. Owaisi tweeted: “What should happen to people like me who aren’t Shandilya or Janeudhari ? (referring to Rahul Gandhi), are’nt bhakts of any gods, don’t recite Chalisa or any Path? Every party feels that it has to show its Hindu credentials to win. Unprincipled, insulting and unlikely to succeed.”
What had Mamata Banerjee truly stated at her Nandigram rally? She stated, “When I went to the temple, the priest requested my gotra. I bear in mind, at Tripureshwari temple, I had stated, my gotra is ‘Maa, Maati aar Manush’, however when the priest requested my gotra at this time, I stated, personally I belong to Shandilya gotra, however I nonetheless imagine my gotra is ‘Maa, Maati aar Manush’.
The BJP pounced upon Mamata for revealing her gotra. Union Minister Giriraj Singh (himself a Shandilya) questioned: “Are Rohingyas and infiltrators Shandilya too? Those who insulted Hindus and banned Durga Puja processions are now revealing their gotra, because they fear defeat. Shandilya gotra is dedicated to the nation and Sanatan dharma, not to votes.”
When Mamata visited 25 Hindu temples in Nandigram, BJP leaders alleged, she was a pretend Hindu, as a result of she didn’t permit Ramnavami procession to be taken out. Mamata then replied, she was a religious Hindu and by no means depart her house every day with out reciting Chandi Path.
Now, 70 per cent Hindu and 30 per cent Muslim voters in Nandigram are going to offer their verdict at this time. While Mamata is counting on en bloc Muslim vote, there are Hindu voters who might assist her, however Mamata isn’t sure. On Wednesday, BJP President J P Nadda stated, Mamata has realized that she goes to lose when the outcomes might be out on counting day (May 2). “She knows after May 2, she will have to sit at home, that is why she is revealing her gotra and reciting Chandi Path. She is indirectly admitting that BJP will win in Bengal”, he stated.
Nadda stated, that is why Mamata has despatched an SOS to different opposition leaders. On Wednesday, Mamata despatched a letter to 14 high opposition leaders together with Sonia Gandhi, Farooq Abdullah, Navin Patnaik, Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, M Ok Stalin, Akhilesh Yadav, Sharad Pawar, Arvind Kejriwal and others, interesting to them to unite and be part of fingers to cease, what she referred to as, the BJP from “establishing one-party authoritarian rule in India.”
Nadda says, Mamata has pressed the panic button by sending SOS to different opposition leaders, as a result of she is fearing defeat. As Nandigram emerged because the epicentre of the battle between Trinamool and BJP, Mamata’s rival Suvendu Adhikari began chanting Jai Shri Ram slogans at his conferences, and Mamata needed to counter this by revealing her gotra, as a way to challenge herself as a extra religious Hindu than Adhikari.
BJP leaders are joyful that they’ve eventually pressured Mamata to disclose her gotra to point out herself up as a religious Brahmin. BJP considers this its ideological victory. Till now, in a lot of the Bengal elections, we used to listen to about events enjoying the Muslim card. This is the primary time that mainstream events are brazenly enjoying the Hindu card. This has caused a basic change in Bengal politics.
BJP has little doubt managed to create a wave in its favour in Bengal elections, by bringing in its high star campaigners like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, J P Nadda and Yogi Adityanath, however the one downside appears to be the dearth of a Bengali talking orator from the Centre. Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek are making Bengali language and tradition, a difficulty of pleasure for all Bengalis. BJP has no efficient weapon to counter this linguistic problem.
The die has been forged. If Mamata manages to win the Bengal elections, her stature in nationwide politics is certain to rise. She will emerge as one of many high opposition leaders to problem Modi. But if she loses Nandigram, and Bengal, Prime Minister Modi will emerge as a pacesetter who has modified the nation’s political map. To defeat Modi and his social gathering will certainly turn out to be unthinkable, if not unimaginable, for the opposition. But I do know, Mamata is a fighter, she isn’t going to just accept defeat simply. Let us wait until May 2.
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