With eye on polls, BJP looks for divine help

New Delhi: It’s back to Hindutva for the Bharatiya Janta Party, which is raking up all the issues it hopes to get maximum political mileage from ahead of the polls.

The saffron party, perhaps, has realised that just like the rath yatra of the 90s, it needs emotive issues if it is to make a major impact in the upcoming elections. So, from the Amarnath land transfer row in Kashmir to the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal project (SSCP) controversy in Rashwaram, nothing is being left out.

“I want to assure everyone that as long as BJP exists in Indian politics, no one can even touch Ram Setu,” BJP president Rajnath Singh said at public address in Chennai on Thursday.

With Lord Ram in the limelight, Lord Shiva could not be left behind. The BJP probably realises that the two together have a massive bearing on the Hindu heart.

Party leader L K Advani not only reiterated the need for a Ram temple in Ayodhya but also worshipped a replica of the Amarnath lingam.

“This is not just Jammu's battle. It's an issue that affects the whole country. And the whole country will fight for it,” Advani said.

Experts say it's a carefully calibrated strategy. The BJP had hesitated from bringing back the temple issue and instead had been focussing on price rise and terror. But Amarnath violence and the Sethu dispute have handed the party two new issues on a platter.

(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest)