AAP's new Punjab strategy: Hanuman Chalisa recitals to counter BJP's Hindu push
On Sunday, July 12, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal and party colleague Manish Sisodia participated in Sunderkand Path in Delhi. The religious event was organised with
On Sunday, July 12, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal and party colleague Manish Sisodia participated in Sunderkand Path in Delhi. The religious event was organised with two aims in mind — corner the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the Ayodhya Ram Mandir donation theft case and successfully reach out to Hindu voters. Apparently, this was just a teaser for a larger campaign planned in view of the upcoming Assembly polls in Punjab. The AAP has been quick to sense the perceived threat from the BJP to its ambition of retaining power in the state. Read Full Story Insiders from the Kejriwal-led party believe that the BJP will definitely try to exploit the sentiments of Hindu voters like they have done in states such as Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal in the past.
While Punjab doesn't have a noticeable Hindu-Muslim factor at play, the saffron party could portray itself as the go-to party for core Hindu voters. Sources told India Today that the AAP has devised a religious approach to counter the BJP's pro-Hindu narrative. Mass Hanuman Chalisa recitals and Sunderkand Path across Hindu-dominant seats. It would be a month-long exercise. "There are nearly 37–38 assembly segments where Hindu vote bank is a deciding factor. We will try to reach nearly 6,000–8,000 polling booths during this campaign through our Hanuman Chalisa recitals and signature campaign," a senior AAP leader aware of the developments said. "While 6,000 booths have Hindu population, the rest 2,000 of these have mix population," they added. Notably, this campaign would also put the newly structured booth-level system of the Punjab AAP to the test.
Sources added that whether the new system is working smoothly and whether the chain of command is being followed will also become apparent. A senior AAP leader also pointed out that these events will particularly focus on areas where the BJP is trying to expand its footprints. "The usual Hindu versus Muslim hate formula won't work in Punjab. Hence, the AAP’s campaign would not only expose the BJP on the Ram Mandir Chanda Chori issue but would also contain them," he said. Importantly, a mega event is also being planned by the AAP in terms of political optics around Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit to Jalandhar on July 17. Moreover, a mega 'Bhakti' evening has been planned by the AAP in Pathankot. The event, "Ek Sham Shivji Ke Naam," is being planned this month and is set to be attended by Kejriwal.
The BriefWire