——–S. A. Hemanth———-
Bengaluru, February 12: Union Home Minister Amit Shah raked Rani Abbakka and Tipu Sultan in his speech at Mangalore and asked the people to choose between the two – one being pro-Hindu and another being anti-Hindu.
At the same time, Shah also raised the issue of ‘tremendous infrastructural development’ that has taken place in the country under Modi’s leadership.
Thus, the contours and content of the election campaign as well as the tone and plank for the electioneering were set by Amit Shah – it is going to be both Hindutva as well as development.
While Tipu Sultan is believed to have got thousands of Hindus killed in Kodagu and Mangalore, Rani Abbakka Devi, on the other hand, is said to have repulsed the attack of Tipu Sultan’s Army and also defeated the Portugese.
It is not without reason that Amit Shah raised the issue of Siddaramaiah’s decision to release thousands of activists of the Popular Front of India (PFI) and withdrawal of cases filed against them.
Amit Shah, a tough hand and the brain behind the banning of PFI, repeatedly pointed out the ‘pro-jihadi’ mindset of the Congress in a bid to polarize the emerging situation.
A shrewd leader with keen political acumen that Shah is, he was aware that he should calm down the tempers that was running in the grassroot cadre in the aftermath of the killing of Praveen Nettaru in Puttur taluk last year.
Criticizing the Congress for being soft on PFI and his own decision to ban PFI enabled Shah not only to endear himself to the cadre but also set the ‘Hindutva’ agenda for the campaign.
Amit Shah’s appeal to the people to strengthen the hands of chief minister Badavaraj Bommai was also an attempt to send a clear message to the powerful Lingayat community whose support is crucial for the BJP.
Going by any yardstick, Amit Shah has succeeded in achieving multiple objectives out of his visit to the coastal Karnataka.
EOM
