BJP sharpens skills in appeasement politics with 2024 in mind

The long list of welfare schemes being implemented by the BRS government for weaker sections and minorities is acting as a shield and the BJP is not able to break it.

Hyderabad: With over a year’s time remaining for the 2024 general elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party, which mainly depends upon polarisation of Hindu votes for its victory, appears to be slowing down on its Hindutva agenda and has started speaking loudly about Christian and Muslims. A clear indication that it is moving towards appeasement politics to capture power for the third consecutive time, this is ironic that the BJP leadership which often accuses opposition parties of practising appeasement politics, is gearing up for the same on a larger scale.

Interestingly, when BJP has taken up issues of minorities, regional parties such as Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, Janata Dal (U) the Bharat Rashtra Samithi and the Aam Aadmi Party have begun to celebrate Hanuman Jayanti and other major Hindu festivals. In fact, Mamata Banerjee, who saw ‘Jai Sree Ram’ as a political slogan, recently visited the Hare Krishna Temple.

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The BJP has been working on the agenda of ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’ since 2014, but getting the support of the Muslims has been an elusive goal even now, which is why it is opening up to them and seeking their support in the upcoming 2024 Parliament elections. During the national executive meeting of the party early this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi specially mentioned that even if minority communities don’t vote for them, the party has to reach out to them and explain its policies and point of view.

Even in Telangana, where the Assembly election is due this year, the saffron party has realised that it will be a hard nut to crack for it, as the ruling BRS has a strong presence among all sections of the society especially, dalits, tribals and minorities, It is therefore planning to start a minority-centric programme to connect with minority voters, especially Muslims, at the grass-root level in the State. However, the long list of welfare schemes being implemented by the BRS government led by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao for weaker sections and minorities is acting as a shield and the BJP is not able to break it. Though the saffron party is raising corruption issues, it is not helping it much as the people are more interested in development being done by the BRS government.

The strong presence of the AIMIM in Hyderabad and its support to the ruling BRS in other parts of the State too is making the work of BJP difficult. On top of that, the Congress, which has a sizable number of followers and supporters in minority communities, especially Muslims, is likely to check the growth of the saffron party.

The BJP, which won just one seat in the 2018 Assembly polls in Telangana, has been struggling to gain the confidence of the people of Telangana and trying to play the Hindutva card, but with the party leadership shifting from its agenda and preparing minority centric strategies, it has become difficult for the party State leadership to connect with the people.

Meanwhile, the approach of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in the Gyanvapi case and asking ‘why look for a shivling in every mosque’ is also being seen as a deviation from its Hindutva agenda. Even the UAE holding its business summit in Kashmir is being seen as a BJP ploy to woo minorities.