There has been much brainstorming on the issue of tackling the politics of religion in the country which, if taken care of, would open the new doors of opportunities for the Congress to gain what it has lost so far. However, that is not so easy to execute on the ground keeping in view the present polarization across India.
While the BJP retains the core Hindu vote bank across the country, as of now, a section of leaders in the Congress seems to be trying to somehow get into that whirlpool and present the image of the party as not something which opposes the blend of religion with politics. But that will not go well with the age-old reputation of the party—which has been secular, distant from religion.
Thus far, it can be stated that Congress is cautious in its approach to engaging with the Hindu religion to counter Hindutva—which is everywhere across the country—and maybe the party is preparing for Rahul Gandhi’s return to the core of Congress even as its attempts to reach out to the minorities remain cursory.
It is to be noted that Congress has declared that the message from the Chintan Shivir was ‘Bharat Jodo,’ but the question which remains and should be asked to the party’s leadership is, whether they were doing enough to counter the Hindutva narrative and how was is it going to effectively reach out to the minorities which stand pushed to the wall across India, facing persecution of all sorts.
The task ahead is not going to be easy for Congress while it braces up for the organizational changes within to ensure the effectiveness of all the structural elements, and its outlook to woo the minorities which seems to be the only option to counter the narrative of Hindutva and save the country from the divisive politics which is seen dancing from the north down to the south in India.
