As drumbeats signal the impending end of the Ram-Ravana battle for another year, Lucknow this Dussehra (Vijayadashmi) is getting ready to witness the intensifying of another battle.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to jump into the fray in what is expected to be one of the most closely fought Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in the past few decades.
In a move away from tradition, BJP’s star campaigner and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend Dussehra day celebrations in UP’s capital, and then address the gathered crowd at the historic Aishbagh Ramlila maidan.
The BJP has denied any political motive behind this move, but this special visit to Lucknow ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in 2017 has not escaped the keen eye of political analysts. They are viewing this as the BJP’s unofficial war cry for the battle to win Uttar Pradesh.
The Avengers of Uri Welcomed in Lucknow
In the wake of the surgical strikes carried out by India inside Pakistani territory, Dussehra, which celebrates the victory of good over evil, is being used by the BJP’s Uttar Pradesh wing to help their own case in a state where they are expected to be trumped — albeit narrowly — by regional parties such as the Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party.
BJP cadres in UP are leaving no stone unturned to milk the heroics of the Army. At the Aishbagh Ramlila Maidan, grand posters of the Prime Minister, along with Rajnath Singh and local BJP leaders, have been erected “welcoming the avengers of Uri”.
Earlier in the week, the Prime Minister had himself set the ground for such tactics, after he commented that this year’s Vijayadashmi is very special for the nation, perhaps because it comes days after India’s stunning of Pakistan with the surgical strikes.
We will celebrate Vijayadashami in the coming days. This year’s Vijayadashami is very special for the country.Narendra Modi
Opposition parties from across the spectrum have accused the BJP of trying to gain political mileage out of the surgical strikes, a charge firmly denied by BJP chief Amit Shah.
The pyre of jawans who lost their lives in the Uri attack has not yet died down, but the Prime Minister is coming to Lucknow to celebrate Dussehra for his political motives.Mayawati, BSP Leader
Akhilesh Likely to Skip Dussehra Celebrations
Reports suggest Mayawati is not the only political big shot in UP not too chuffed about the PM’s visit to the city on Tuesday.
According to a report published in The Indian Express, the Principal Secretary (Information) Navneet Sahgal of the UP government has revealed that Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav will receive Modi at the city airport, but is unlikely to turn up for the programme himself.
The organiser of the event, BJP national vice-president Dinesh Sharma, who is also the patron of Aishbagh Ramlila maidan, UP Governor Ram Naik, Rajnath Singh and a state government minister will be present on the dais with Modi. Akhilesh, however, he added, has not confirmed his presence yet.
(With inputs from The Indian Express)
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