01-24-2007, 05:08 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Hindutva gives Congress cold feet</b>
OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
The Telegraph
January 23, 2007
New Delhi, Jan. 22: The Congress is spending sleepless nights in Karnataka,
where it had watched its government fall to the BJP last year.
âWe are now afraid of losing not only our voters but our party rank and file to
the Hindutva forces,â said a general secretary. The warning was sent to the
bosses in Delhi last week, when Bangalore was plastered with RSS-BJP posters of
a âHindu utsavamâ to mark the centenary of the Sangh ideologue M. S. Golwalkar.
And, some of these carried the names of Congress leaders.
The âincriminatingâ posters reached Delhi, from where defence minister A. K.
Antony (in picture), in charge of Karnataka affairs, reportedly warned the MLAs
and office-bearers whose names figured on the publicity material. They were
asked to stay away from RSS-BJP activities.
âThe leaders complied, but asked senior Karnataka leaders uncomfortable
queries,â the general secretary said. <b>The main âprovocationâ was the presence
of senior Congress leaders at a public meeting to protest Saddam Husseinâs
hanging. These included C.K. Jaffer Sharief, Roshan Baig, state party chief
Mallikarjuna Kharge and leader of Opposition Dharam Singh</b>.
âThe point is that if itâs okay to attend a pro-Saddam rally, whatâs wrong in
associating with a function on Golwalkar?â a source asked. Arguments that
Saddam was a friend of India havenât cut ice with the Congressâs sceptics.
Sources say the Congress doesnât want Karnataka to go the Gujarat way, where the BJP initially piggybacked on the Janata Dal to win a few seats and later
consolidated its position.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
The Telegraph
January 23, 2007
New Delhi, Jan. 22: The Congress is spending sleepless nights in Karnataka,
where it had watched its government fall to the BJP last year.
âWe are now afraid of losing not only our voters but our party rank and file to
the Hindutva forces,â said a general secretary. The warning was sent to the
bosses in Delhi last week, when Bangalore was plastered with RSS-BJP posters of
a âHindu utsavamâ to mark the centenary of the Sangh ideologue M. S. Golwalkar.
And, some of these carried the names of Congress leaders.
The âincriminatingâ posters reached Delhi, from where defence minister A. K.
Antony (in picture), in charge of Karnataka affairs, reportedly warned the MLAs
and office-bearers whose names figured on the publicity material. They were
asked to stay away from RSS-BJP activities.
âThe leaders complied, but asked senior Karnataka leaders uncomfortable
queries,â the general secretary said. <b>The main âprovocationâ was the presence
of senior Congress leaders at a public meeting to protest Saddam Husseinâs
hanging. These included C.K. Jaffer Sharief, Roshan Baig, state party chief
Mallikarjuna Kharge and leader of Opposition Dharam Singh</b>.
âThe point is that if itâs okay to attend a pro-Saddam rally, whatâs wrong in
associating with a function on Golwalkar?â a source asked. Arguments that
Saddam was a friend of India havenât cut ice with the Congressâs sceptics.
Sources say the Congress doesnât want Karnataka to go the Gujarat way, where the BJP initially piggybacked on the Janata Dal to win a few seats and later
consolidated its position.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->