New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Adityanath’s campaign trail in Jharkhand and Maharashtra has all been about consolidating the Hindu vote through the demonisation of Muslims and the promise of a UP-model style of government to ruthlessly deal with ‘stone-pelters’ who supposedly disrupt Hindu festivals – a coded reference to Muslims.
By peddling the conspiracy theories of ‘land jihad,’ ‘love jihad,’ and ‘demographic change’ due to the influx of Bangladeshis and the Rohingya, Adityanath, one of the most popular campaigners of the Bharatiya Janata Party, has unpacked his warning of ‘batenge toh katenge’ in both states. The slogan translates to ‘[we will be] slaughtered if divided,’ and ostensibly refers to Hindus.
In half-a-dozen rallies by Adityanath in Maharashtra and Jharkhand this week, not only did the theme of Ram Mandir and Hindu festivals dominate, but he also made veiled promises that the Hindu Right would take over mosques in Varanasi and Mathura just like it did in Ayodhya, where the Ram Mandir was built.
In Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, Adityanath accused the Hemant Soren-led government of allowing ‘ghuspaith’ or ‘infiltration’ of people from Bangladesh and Myanmar in a bid to cause ‘demographic........