For the beleaguered BJP in UP, the impending Babri verdict is being looked upon as the proverbial Manna from heaven and the party is all set to revert to its aggressive Hindutva posture as soon as the verdict is delivered.
The party, which had been caught in a vortex between the moderates and the hardliners and was unable to decide its course, is finally ready to pick up the Hindutva challenge again.
“Actually, we have no choice. When the verdict is delivered, the so-called secular forces will begin playing Muslim politics on the issue and we will have to revert to an aggressive Hindu posture, which was our basic ideology,” discloses a senior party functionary.
The BJP admits that it diluted its Hindutva plank to appease the allies in the NDA and it was this that led to its downslide in Uttar Pradesh which has been the heartland of temple politics.
“The compulsions of governance made us put Hindutva on the backburner and our supporters, naturally, did not accept this. The party lost support, particularly in UP, where people looked upon this as betrayal. However, now we have decided that we will not allow any political compulsions to overtake us and we will practice aggressive Hindutva as soon as the situation is ripe for it,” the functionary explained.
The BJP in UP is now banking on two Hindu hardliners, Vinay Katiyar and Varun Gandhi — particularly the latter — to rejuvenate the party and mobilise the cadres. While Vinay Katiyar is well known for his fiery speeches, Varun Gandhi, in the past one year, has emerged as a major attraction among the youth and his ability to endear himself to the masses is his biggest advantage.
After the Babri verdict, the party plans to use these two leaders to advantage in UP by organising a series of rallies after Diwali.
“After almost a decade, you will see BJP in its original form in Uttar Pradesh,” the functionary added.