Before the 2002 riots in Gujarat, perhaps no other placewould have been referred to as an example of the Sangh Parivar’s religiousintolerance as Dang was. Located in the midst of a lush green forest surroundedby the Satpura range of mountains at the southern border of the state, Dang isendowed with nature’s bounty and ruined by man’s caprice.
The district is dominated by tribals who are divided onreligious lines. There is a distinct division of Hindu tribals and Christiantribals in the district. And the tension often arises on the slightest pretextwhich often has its genesis in local politics. A section of firebrand sadhus,including infamous Aseemanand, had turned this place into a veritable Hindutvalaboratory by the late 1990s. Aseemanad was known to have stoked tension onreligious lines till he was hounded by the CBI in connection with the SamjhautaExpress terror blasts.
No doubt, Dang evokes a cumbersome political memory for aleader like Narendra Modi who has set his eyes on a larger national role. Andin this election he has been working in right earnest to erase this memory frompeople’s psyche.
Siyoni, a young and articulate Christian woman, has beenworking overtime for the BJP these days. Her decision to join the party wasprompted by pragmatic political calculations. Since 1998 when Dang witnessedanti-Christian violence, Siyoni emerged as a flag-bearer for human rights andchampion of the minority’s cause. She worked for the Congress tirelessly for adecade but the party’s senior leadership let her down. “In my 15-year-longassociation with it, I was never able to meet any senior state leader, letalone meeting members of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty,” she said. However, Siyoninow proudly claims that the chief minister knows her by name. “In the BJPregime, I get access to any minister or bureaucrat and get my voice heard bythe system.”
But what about the persecution of Christians in the BJPregime? Siyoni dismisses the question as irrelevant and points out that Modi inhis tenure has kept trouble-mongers at arm’s length from the Christians inDang. “He has ensured that Christians are not harassed by Sangh Parivarhardliners.”
Siyoni is not the only new entrant in the Modi fold whichbrought in a political culture distinctly different from that of the Hindutvahardliners. Yet another former Congress leader, Girish Modi, has been broughtin as the BJP’s important office-bearer to woo Christians and neutralise thehardliner and intolerant image of the BJP.
There are all indications that Modi’s strategy has worked.Unlike the 2007 elections when Christian tribals were dead against the BJP, thehostility seems to be effectively diluted this time. The state government’sinitiatives to provide direct economic benefits through cooperatives and dairyschemes are seen as a major attraction for the tribals. Since tribalsconstitute a significant electoral chunk in Gujarat, next only to Odisha, thechange of heart among people in Dang appears to be a precursor to the emergingpolitics.
