For the Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party, new threats are opening old weaknesses. While the ruling Congress remains its principal opposition, the Hindu nationalist party is becoming the target of regional, linguistic and casteist groups that are resisting any assimilation into a wider, homogenous Hindu religious identity. Whether the issue is the adoption of a Karnataka State flag , the resistance to use of Hindi in public spaces, or the assertion of the Lingayat caste identity in opposition to a Hindu religious identity, it is the BJP that is feeling the heat more than the Congress. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah worked the flag issue to his own advantage, fanning regional sentiments, and painting the BJP as an overbearing nationalist party that gives no room for regional variations. Indeed, the Congress, which is desperate to reinvent itself to stay politically relevant, appears bent on occupying the political space of a regional party in Karnataka. The growing resentment against the use of Hindi in public spaces such as metro rail stations is now directed at the BJP-ruled Centre. The BJP’s vote bank could now be torn asunder by the demand among sections of the Lingayat community for being considered a separate religious grouping. Its chief ministerial candidate, B.S. Yeddyurappa, relies heavily on the Lingayat vote bank, and any dent will tell on the winnability of the party. The Hindi-Hindu combination might work well for the BJP in the northern States, but in the south there is a risk of it turning out to be a big drag.
Of course, Mr. Siddaramaiah, under some pressure from the national leadership of his party, did not go the full distance on the flag issue, and instead referred it to a panel to decide on its legal sanctity. As a national party the Congress has its limitations in taking on the BJP in this manner, but at this point of time Mr. Siddaramaiah seems prepared to use any weapon in his battle to best the BJP. As a result, the Congress government has taken hold of the debate, pushing the BJP on the defensive. Viewing as it does all strains of subnationalism with suspicion as variants of anti-nationalism, the BJP seems to have conceded some ground on this issue. At the same time, the Congress cannot press the advantage beyond a point. The language issue is tied up with several other subjects relating to Karnataka’s rights and its disputes with neighbouring States. Indeed, it is a mask for all sorts of socio-economic grievances and a ready mode of political mobilisation. As Karnataka prepares for an Assembly election next year, the BJP can only hope that struggles on the basis of regional, linguistic and casteist identities do not coalesce into a movement that subverts its Hindu-Hindi platform. And with it the party’s political fortunes.
Published - July 26, 2017 12:05 am IST
