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Narendra Modi's manager Amit Shah is in Uttar Pradesh today, holding meetings in Varanasi. This seat is currently held by the BJP's Murali Manohar Joshi. At several public meetings, he has said he is not vacating it. So Shah's incursions will not be welcome. But Modi has met Joshi one on one several times and has also made him the chairman of the manifesto committee. Maybe a deal is in the offing.
The focus on Varanasi is because it is said to be one of the Lok Sabha seats that Modi is eyeing for his entry into the Lok Sabha. The argument is that his election from this eastern UP region will galvanise other areas and will move at least half a dozen more seats. Varanasi may be the seat of Hinduism but there is a sizeable number of Muslims too, here. It is a unique form of Hindu-Muslim amity: Bismillah Khan, bharat ratna and shehnai player played every morning at the Balaji temple when he was young, partook in prasad and then went to the Gopal Mandir and got more prasad. He was a devout Muslim who went to Mecca once a year when he could afford it – and he was a devout Hindu as well.
True Banaras has known its moments of religious polarisation, but these have not lasted long. This is partly because the religion of Banaras is 'fakkadpana': a happy go lucky, 'what me worry' way of life. Modi's admonishment for self-improvement, getting ahead and aspiring for better things are unlikely to have much resonance here. The people of Banaras value their leisure too much.
On the other hand, Banaras has – since the passing of Kamlapati Tripathi and his clan – been inclined towards the BJP. The Mallahs or boatmen of Banaras, belonging to the Nishad caste and calling themselves “jal karshaks' (tiller of the water), were a huge contingent in LK Advani's rath yatra and later the demolition of the mosque. When Phoolan Devi, who was also a mallah, joined the Samajwadi Party, they decided to go with her. But they are a huge community and Modi will have to win them over if he wants to contest from Banaras.
To be sure, young people in Banaras will be deeply influenced by Modi. But there are other complex equations at work here including the role Dalits will play in the election.
The Modi foray in UP will be interesting: because it remains to be seen what he wants to sell – dharma or development. Dharma could concievably work in places like Rampur where Muslims and Hindus are numerically equally strong. But in Banaras or Lucknow?
But will development sell? One visit by Modi will tell us what buttons he is going to press.
Disclaimer: These are personal views of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect the opinion of www.business-standard.com or the Business Standard newspaper
