Bengaluru: The coastal region of Karnataka has long been referred to as the Hindutva laboratory by progressive thinkers and Congress leaders.
Now, with the BJP gaining ground in south Karnataka following an alliance with JD(S), there is ongoing debate in political circles about the BJP making Mandya district, considered the heartland of Vokkaligas, the new laboratory for Hindutva.
The discussion was triggered by a statement from Minister for RDPR and IT and BT, Priyank Kharge. He mentioned that the BJP and Sangh Parivar, having made the coastal region its Hindutva laboratory, are now active in Mandya district, conducting Hindutva experiments.
Kharge’s statement was followed by the BJP’s strong opposition to the removal of the flag of Lord Hanuman from a 108-feet-tall flag post on government land and the subsequent hoisting of the national tricolour.
Mandya district, along with other south Karnataka districts like Mysuru, Tumakuru, Kolar, Hassan, Ramanagara, Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru Urban, Chikkaballapura, Chikkamagaluru, and Chamarajanagar, has a concentrated Vokkaliga population. The region traditionally supported former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, JD(S), and Congress parties. Even after Operation Lotus, the BJP struggled to make inroads.
The BJP’s Rath Yatra movement, opposition to Tipu Sultan Jayanthi, a series of communal incidents in the region, and attempts to glorify Vokkaliga warriors Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda as the slayers of Tipu Sultan did not yield results. Even controversies like the Hijab issue and the boycott of Muslim traders did not significantly help the BJP in this region.
As Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, a Vokkaliga, gained prominence in the Congress party, the Vokkaliga vote bank tilted towards the grand old party in the 2019 assembly elections. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Dy CM Shivakumar’s challenge to the survival of JD(S) in the region compelled former PM Deve Gowda to forge an alliance with the BJP.
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