Senior leaders in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), starting from Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, seem to be in a race to propound the “Uttar Pradesh model”, a euphemism for the use of bulldozers and encounters to maintain law and order, especially against members from the minority community. This “model” seems to be the latest buzzword replacing the “Gujarat model” that leaders talked about earlier.
They seem to be under pressure from leaders of the youth wings of the party — Yuva Morcha and social media cell — who have resigned, and the ABVP that has protested against the Home Minister over the murder of party worker Praveen Nettaru.
Many voices from the top
While Mr. Bommai himself said they would implement the “U.P. model” if need be, Higher Education Minister C.N. Ashwath Narayan, not known to take strident stances earlier, said the State “would be five steps ahead of Uttar Pradesh” and said the State government was “ready to do encounters”. The former Minister K.S. Eshwarappa said Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh were different, but warned Muslims “not to spoil their lives, as they will suffer a lot”. Raju Gowda, BJP MLA, on Saturday said the central leadership of the party was a proponent of “surgical strikes” and it was needed in the State too.
In a purported conversation between BJP Yuva Morcha national president Tejasvi Surya and a Yuva Morcha worker, he was heard saying they could have pelted stones on the road if it was a Congress government in power.
Concerns within party
While these statements have come under severe criticism of the Opposition, a section within the ruling party is also concerned.
“Ministers and even the Chief Minister openly alluding to encounters won’t go down well with the people of Karnataka in an election year. We need to realise Karnataka is different from Uttar Pradesh. All the three murders in the coastal districts and the rebellion from within the ranks of the party cadre against the government is bad optics, showing the government and its leadership not to be in control,” said a senior party strategist.
