A day after the BJP released its manifesto for the Karnataka elections, editorials in prominent English dailies noted the “marriage of contrasts”, questioning how the mix of Hindutva pitches with welfare schemes could fulfil the development needs of a state falling behind “even among its southern neighbours in human development indices”.
In an editorial headlined “High on Hindutva”, the Indian Express noted that the manifesto is a mixture of Hindutva and welfare and “hardly echoes the aspirational pitch Prime Minister Narendra Modi makes at his election rallies in the state though he has described the manifesto as ‘development-centric’.”
