Rajasthan is on the edge after the gruesome Murder of Kanhaiya Lal, a tailor of Udaipur For sharing comments allegedly made by two people, Mohammad Riaz and Ghaus Mohamed, on June 28 BJPNupur Sharma against the Prophet, with protests in various parts of the state, forced the Congress government led by the Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot Hurry to deal with the situation.
The Gehlot government immediately went into overdrive Enforcement of prohibitory orders under CrPC, keeping Rajasthan on high alert, to prevent repercussions of the incident section 144 Mobile internet was suspended across the state for a month, and across the state including Jaipur. Gehlot on Thursday appealed to the people of the state to maintain peace and harmony through front-page advertisements in daily and digital form.
As incidents of communal violence in various districts over the past several months have led to a sharp increase in polarisation, Gehlot is struggling to come under the grip of his political influences, even as the next assembly election is a year away. -Five months away.
on 2nd April, communal clashes erupted in Karauli After allegedly pelting stones at a motorcycle rally passing through a Muslim-majority area on Hindu New Year’s Day.
On May 2, a day before Eid Curfew imposed in Jodhpur and internet services suspendedGehlot’s home ground, erupted following communal clashes after religious flags were hoisted at a statue of a freedom fighter.
Police lathi-charged after clashes between two communities on Eid-ul-Fitr in Jalauri Gate area of Jodhpur. (PTI)
Three days later, communal tension gripped Bhilwara, due to which internet services were suspended. again on May 10 Communal stampede again seen in Bhilwara The next day another similar incident happened in Hanumangarh.
To deal with the communal incidents, the Rajasthan Police launched a 15-day campaign in May, cracking down on over 4,600 people in this regard.
Subsequently, Rajasthan did not report any violence on the occasion of Ram Navami on June 10, when communal incidents were reported from other states including Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Karnataka. This was ensured by the Gehlot administration by imposing prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC in more than half of the state’s 33 districts and with an elaborate order before allowing any procession for the day.
Later, Rajasthan Police took several other measures. For example, it asked each police station in Jaipur North to form 24 cricket teams involving local residents for a tournament called “Hero Cup” from June 21 to July 3, aimed at creating and promoting communal harmony in the belt. have to give.
And then there was the murder of Kanhaiya Lal, which led to a war of words between the Congress and the main opposition BJP, the latter accusing the ruling party of indulging in “appeasement politics”. What is more worrying for the Congress is that any increase in polarization would only be an advantage for the saffron party as it would mean consolidating Hindu votes in favor of the latter.
For decades, the BJP and Congress have tried to woo major castes in Rajasthan, including Jats, Rajputs, Gurjars, Meenas and Brahmins, and their support for either party has been dependent on various factors, such as the prevailing political climate. Demands for reservation, community leaders, party leaders of the community and even the portrayal of the erstwhile rulers of the community in films, etc.
And the traditional caste rivalry between Rajputs and Jats as well as Meenas and Gujjars is well known in the state. So among Rajputs and Jats, if one caste supports a particular political party, the other caste supports its rival party.
In fact, Shri Rajput Karni Sena (SRKS) was established in 2006 after the conflict of Rajputs with Jats. That year, Jeevan Ram Godara and Harphool Ram Jat were killed in Didwana by Anandpal Singh, a Ravana Rajput and then one of Rajasthan’s most notorious gangsters. Control over alleged illegal liquor business. As the Jats protested, they found support from a wide spectrum of political leaders, and the police reportedly detained any Rajput man who may have been linked to Anandpal. To protest their alleged “hounding”, the SRKS was established on 23 September 2006 with 11 stated objectives, including to protest political or social malice against Rajputs, as well as to protect their history or historical figures. misrepresentation” and promoting Rajput unity.
Police at the crime scene after a tailor was killed by two men, allegedly over a social media post, in Udaipur. (PTI)
Political analyst Ashfaq Kayamkhani says that with increasing polarisation, the distances between Hindu castes may fade and be replaced with majority versus minority politics, with the latter being a “common enemy”.
He says that the polarization will “actually cause harm to the Congress” and “the way it is portrayed as a community party, it will create anger towards the Congress in both communities” as opposed to the party doing. tries. A hard walk and stagger. He says that as the elections approach, the atmosphere will worsen and polarize, which will help the parties playing the communal card.
Sociologist Rajeev Gupta says it is too early to say how the polarization will take place in the late 2023 Rajasthan assembly elections, but “certainly the BJP will take advantage of the situation”.
He says that even the internal battle of the Congress does not help with leaders like Acharya Pramod Krishnam jumping into the Gehlot vs Sachin Pilot debate. “This is the democracy within the Congress, but the ruling party at the Center says there is an internal battle going on in the Congress, so even if they win, they will not be able to do anything,” Gupta said.
A day earlier, Union minister Anurag Thakur slammed the Gehlot government over the Udaipur case and alleged that the state government remained a “silent spectator” as the internal rivalry of the Congress affected law and order in the state. Conversely, says Gupta, there may be factionalism within the state BJP “but every faction talks about Hinduism”.