Chief Minister Pramod Sawant touched a raw nerve when he stressed the need to rebuild temples that had been destroyed by the Portuguese. While drumming up the support of people to support him in this task, Sawant said it is time to reinstate 'Hindu Sanskruti' in the State during the 60th year of Goa's liberation. The question is, why is the CM touching a communally sensitive issue at this juncture, and why were temples not on his mind all this while when BJP was ruling? Does rebuilding of religious structures suddenly become a State subject now?
The CM has given a communal tone to his pitch and opened up scars of the Portuguese regime at a very sensitive time. The history of temples date back to the Portuguese invasion in 1510, and it is intriguing why successive BJP governments never spoke of Hindu Sanskruti and of rebuilding temples. It is obvious that the issue has been raked up with a singular motive of polarizing voters at a time when a clear division is visible.The BJP has been trying the indoctrination of its Hindutva agenda in other poll-bound States as well in a desperate attempt to bring together Hindu voters. The party has been talking of reclaiming mosques in Varanasi and Mathura by claiming they were built on Hindu temple sites. The RSS has been talking about reviving an undivided India from the mythical past. Leaders are consciously attempting to keep the Hindu voters engaged with a pure Hindutva narrative. In Goa, it was during the Manohar Parrikar regime of 2012 that the leadership briefly attempted to dispel the communal leanings of the BJP.
In a politically charged up environment parties are conscious of the majority community strength and their decisive role in an election. If we recall, the Aam Aadmi Party has announced that their Chief Ministerial candidate will be a face from the majority Bhandaris and the deputy chief minister from the Catholic community. The TMC has joined hands with MGP to diffuse the anti-Hindu tag that the Opposition has been harping on. The communal overtones are playing out against the reality that no party is in a position to antagonize the majority community. The chief minister has made a conscious attempt in placating Hindu sentiments knowing well that it could stir up a hornet's nest in the Opposition camp, a move that could still help BJP with reverse polarization of voters.
In the broader electoral campaign, rebuilding religious structures pales out against the priorities of the State and the various issues that Goa is grappling with. The CM may have made a temple statement, leaving a lot to the interpretation by the minorities and creating a feeling of unease. Goans are known for their communal harmony, and that's been a hallmark of our identity. We hope that this doesn’t change with this election as concerted attempts are being made to rake up religious hegemony and push a Hindutva agenda.
