Amit Shah, Sangh discuss ways to unite Hindus, leverage Kumbh mela

Ways to keep Hindus united, including pushing for the construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya and leveraging the upcoming Kumbh mela in Allahabad were discussed at a meeting attended in Lucknow on Wednesday by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah and leaders from several Sangh Parivar affiliates, according to people familiar with the matter.

The group also discussed the importance of a Dalit outreach ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, even as Shah said that the Opposition attempts at cobbling together an alliance to take on a “Modi-fied BJP” was no threat to the party, the people cited above added. The meeting was attended by nearly 40 different Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) affiliates.

“It was discussed that [the amendment to] the SC/ST [Prevention of Atrocities] Act was a step towards addressing the worries of those who were oppressed,” said a BJP leader present at the meeting who asked not to named.

“Amit Shahji didn’t speak on the temple, but yes, at the meeting of which he was a part, it was decided that BJP would continue to associate itself with the construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya,” the BJP leader added.

Asked if the party was looking at bringing legislation on the temple, the leader replied: “All these aspects will come into play only after the court decision comes. At the same time, the party will continue making all efforts to



realise the temple dream.”

The Supreme Court will start hearing the main title deed case into the disputed Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi land in Ayodhya on October 29.

Uttar Pradesh’s deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya earlier announced that the party would consider taking the legislation route on the temple after the court verdict.

A second person present in Wednesday’s meeting said that RSS leaders Dattatreya Hosabale, Krishna Gopal, Ram Lal and Shiv Prakash emphasised to UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath that the January kumbh be held on a “grand, global” scale.

Another BJP leader said that Shah stressed that doing well in Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh was crucial and called for a united effort to achieve it. Asked if this reflected the BJP’s anxiety over recent attacks by former Vishwa Hindu Parishad chief Pravin Togadia and his announcement to float a political party, the third BJP leader said: “Togadia is no threat. But yes, we are not taking anyone lightly.”

Uttar Pradesh was central to the BJP’s success in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, with the party winning an unprecedented 71 of the 80 seats up for grabs in India’s most populous state.

“We keep meeting regularly to collect feedback from cadre. Our cadres were here and we discussed various things,” the RSS’s Krishna Gopal said after the meeting.