BHOPAL: Congress party’s soft-Hindutva approach in Madhya Pradesh started after its win in Chitrakoot bypoll in November 2017. It was soon after the bypoll that Congress MLAs raised slogans of “Jai Shri Ram” in the state assembly.By July this year, state Congress president Kamal Nath announced that if the party came to power it would trace and construct the Ram Van Gaman Path, the route taken by Lord Rama during his 14-year exile. It is also believed that Lord Rama spent more than 11 of 14 years in exile in Chitrakoot, here in Satna district.In the ensuing assembly elections, Congress claims it is their major issue that has an appeal in at least 23 assembly seats spreading over seven districts. The Lord Rama’s route covers following constituencies Chitrakoot, Semaria, Rampur-Baghelan, Satna, Maihar, Amarpatan, Rewa, Gurh, Churhat, Beohari, Sohagpur, Sehora, Shahdol, Umariya, Barwara, Dindori, Nagod, Raigaon, Bahoriband, Dindori, Katni and two seats in Jabalpur city. Presently, Congress has its MLAs in ten of these seats, BJP in 12 and BSP in one.Essentially, Ram Van Gaman Path construction was an announcement made by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and the BJP government in 2007 which was again reiterated in 2010. But the implementation was delayed and when Congress started treading the path of soft-Hindutva. It was the first issue the opposition party snatched from ruling BJP in MP. Congress manifesto titled the ‘Vachan Patra’ mentions Ram Van Gaman Path construction as a major commitment, if it comes to power.“Not just the Ram Van Gaman Path, for us Lord Rama’s route combined with settingup of gaushalas (cow-shelters) in every village panchayat and rejuvenation of Sanskrit schools are also promises made in the manifesto,” said Harishankar Shukla, chairman of the Ram Van Gaman Path Samiti and chief of state Congress Consumer Protection Cell.BJP is stunned with the Congress turning the tables. After repeated efforts, BJP MP from Satna Ganesh Singh did not respond toquestions. Rajya Sabha MP and state BJP general secretary Ajay Pratap Singh said, “For BJP, it is not a political issue but a matter of faith. We want to develop the route as part of religious and spiritual tourism. The BJP government started the historical research on the subject. Since it is directly connected to people’s faith, it is also a sensitive issue. Congress wants to harvest a crop of votes over Ram Van Gaman Path. For them it is an electoral issue but not for us. The BJP only sees it from the angle of faith.

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