Madhya Pradesh: Ram temple, Modi’s guarantee and caste census key issues

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “guarantees”, Ram temple in Ayodhya, and Congress’ demand for a caste census would be among major issues in the BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh during the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.

Lok Sabha polls in Madhya Pradesh will be held in four phases on April 19, April 26, May 7 and May 13. Counting of votes will be held on June 4.

Following are the key issues in the state for the Lok Sabha polls:

 

Narendra Modi: If the November 2023 state elections are any indicator, the prime minister would be the ruling party’s biggest poll plank. It would highlight “Modi ki guarantee” (Modi’s promises) such as free food grains for the poor, and the achievements of the Union government in the past ten years.

Ram temple: The BJP would take credit for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and attack the Congress for turning down the invite to the inauguration ceremony. Congress could try to blunt the criticism by pointing out that the lock of the earlier make-shift Ramlalla shrine at the disputed place was opened when Rajiv Gandhi was prime minister.

Hindutva: The BJP is expected to use the Hindutva card to consolidate the vote of the majority community. Ahead of the assembly polls, Hindu religious leaders held meetings aimed at mobilising the community. The Congress’ strategy would be to peddle `soft Hindutva’ like it attempted during the assembly polls, according to senior journalist Rakesh Dixit.

Unemployment: Congress is likely to target the ruling party on the issue of lack of jobs. During his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Madhya Pradesh, Rahul Gandhi claimed that India’s unemployment situation was worse than that of Pakistan.

GST: The opposition party has claimed that Goods and Services Tax has ruined small businesses and hit the poor hard by raising prices for the end- consumer.

 

Caste census and OBCs: Around half the population of Madhya Pradesh belongs to Other Backward Classes. Mohan Yadav is the fourth OBC chief minister of the BJP since 2003. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been claiming that a caste census would be a revolutionary step as it would show how OBCs, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes have little or no presence in many sectors of the economy.

Women: The `Ladli Behna’ financial assistance scheme for women was seen as a game-changer for the BJP in the assembly polls. The party would also highlight the 33 per cent political reservation accorded to women and subsidised cooking gas cylinders, said state BJP spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi.

MNREGA: Congress is reminding voters that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) was its brainchild, while claiming that job opportunities have shrunk under the Modi regime.

Farmers’ issues: Congress has promised a legally guaranteed Minimum Support Price for crops. It is also seeking farm loan waiver up to Rs 1 lakh. The loan waiver promise had helped it win the 2018 assembly elections in MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.