Communalising the poll campaign

The Bharatiya Janata Party is sparing no effort to communalise its campaigning in the Assembly polls in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and bypolls in 46 Assembly segments across several states. In Jharkhand, the party has stirred fears of infiltration from Bangladesh, fuelling anxieties about tribal people losing their land and daughters to so-called ‘ghuspaithiyas’. Meanwhile, in Karnataka, the routine issuance of notices by the Waqf Board has become a tool for the party to mobilise voters in the Channapatna, Sandur and Shiggaon constituencies.

By now, it is fairly well known that no Census was held in 2021, making any claims of infiltration unverifiable without supporting evidence. Furthermore, any responsibility for border monitoring against illegal entry rests solely with the Border Security Force, a paramilitary force under the Union Home Ministry. Ironically, the ruling coalition in Jharkhand comprising the JMM, Congress and RJD could easily turn this accusation back on the BJP, which once granted asylum in Delhi to former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed, now sought by Bangladesh to face charges of murder, corruption and mis-governance.

In Karnataka, the BJP has built its campaign on notices issued by the Waqf Board to farmers, misrepresenting facts. Only 14 acres of farmland fall under the Waqf in Honawad (in Belagavi district), with the Revenue Department preparing 423 notices for five districts. Despite this, the party alleges that notices were issued for thousands of acres of farmland. Surprisingly, Mr Jagdambika Paul, chairman of the JPC reviewing the proposed Waqf Amendment Act, rushed to Hubballi-Dharwad to accept a petition from ‘aggrieved farmers’, though this is typically a matter for the executive, not legislators. More bizarrely, South Bengaluru MP Mr Tejaswi Surya accused the Revenue Department of issuing notices in Urdu, though the Waqf is required to adhere to the state government’s language policy. Consequently, the government has filed a case against Mr Surya for spreading fake news. It is surprising that the Election Commission of India has yet to address the communal theatrics unfolding in the campaign arena.