When Karnataka goes to polls on May 10, one question that is going to weigh heavy on the average Congress supporter's mind will be "Did we go wrong with the ban on Bajrang Dal?" An outfit, which is the youth organization of the right-wing Vishwa Hindu Parishad, which was or wasn't on the peripheral vision of Indian society, often castigated for disrupting Valentine's Day celebrations or movie screenings, is today the cynosure of all eyes. All thanks to the Congress' push to ban it as part of its election manifesto.
Whatever the outcome of these polls on May the 13th, one thing is certain – Bajrang Dal is no longer a fringe group for the average Hindu man or woman in the country. It has been pushed to the center of public discourse, not just in Karnataka, but across the Hindu belt in the country. What creates a very sticky ground for the grand old party in Karnataka, however, is that the state is considered to be the birthplace of Lord Hanuman, also known as ‘Bajrang Bali'. So, that is one shot in the foot that Congress has managed right ahead of the state elections.
Though the opinion polls changed overnight after the Congress manifesto was released, the fact that the party promised to take ‘decisive action' against Bajrang Dal wasn't lost on the average Indian viewer interested in the Karnataka elections. The political climate changed as well with the BJP preening delightfully at the new controversy served to it on a platter. The outburst came in from everywhere, be it the Bajrang Dal itself or the BJP, or other wings of the ‘parivaar.'
The issue gained further impetus when PM Modi led a rally in Karnataka with chants of "Jai Bajrang Bali" while blaming Congress of seeking to put Lord Hanuman behind the bars. Obviously taking pleasure in pushing the knife further in, he said, "I have come to the land of Hanuman….It is the misfortune of the country that the Congress had a problem with Lord Rama and now it has difficulty with those who say ‘Jai Bajrang Bali'."
On one hand, the BJP is hell-bent to present Congress proposal to ban Bajrang Dal as a slight to Lord Hanuman himself, but on the other hand, Congress seems to have gone on the backfoot regarding ‘Bajrang.'
Quite contrary to its earlier position amidst the polls, party's Karnataka Chief DK Shivakumar, after visiting the Chamundeshwari Temple in Mysuru, declared, "We have a commitment to the development of Anjaneya (Lord Hanuman) temples across the state if the Congress party comes to power.