As polling date nears, communal narrative strengthens in eastern Rajasthan

In Bharatpur, communal schism is taking centre stage as Hindu voters use a doctored video to rail against the Congress govt. BJP leaders' speeches are finding resonance as they accuse the Gehlot government of failing to protect Hindu interests. Voters cite "selective development" & "promoting Muslim interests" as reasons to vote against Congress.

Two days after Wajib Ali, the Congress candidate for the Nagar Assembly constituency, filed his nomination papers on November 6, a video went viral on social media, purportedly showing people in a crowd accompanying him raising the “Pakistan Zindabad” slogan. Police investigations found that the video was doctored and a 32-year-old man who posted the video on YouTube was arrested. But that has not stopped the falsehood from gaining a life of its own.

In Nagar, Hindu voters are using the video to rail against the “anti-Hindu” and “pro-Muslim” stance of the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government. As the polling date nears, the communal schism is taking centre stage in Bharatpur district, which is a Congress stronghold. In the 2018 election, the Congress won four out of the seven seats in the district and two Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs also joined the party, supporting Mr. Gehlot, during former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot’s 2020 revolt.

At his farm implements shop, Kesar Singh, who belongs to the Gujjar community, is upfront about his choice. “Here, it is a mini-Pakistan,” Mr. Singh said. To support his point, he flags the reported fake video. “They raised ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans at Ali’s nomination rally and fired from country-made pistols. We have lived alongside them [Muslims] for centuries, but this new generation is far too belligerent. We need a government that will discipline them,” Mr. Singh said. He dismisses the police action against the video as a last favour done by the Rajasthan Police for the outgoing government.

The video is picked out over and over again by pro-BJP voters, especially the Gujjars, who are also disappointed about the Congress sidelining Mr. Pilot, a Gujjar leader. But they are clear that even an appeal from Mr. Pilot will not make a difference now.

The complaints against Mr. Ali, who was elected to the seat on a BSP ticket and switched to the Congress midway through his tenure, vary from “selective development” limited to only Muslim pockets, to promoting “their interests”.

Vikram Singh Poswal, a 32-year-old driver, is carelessly scrolling through his phone on the verandah of his home. When asked about the primary issue in the election, he responds without missing a beat: “Hindu-Muslim”. Pointing at the overflowing drain outside his home, which has garbage heaped at regular intervals, he says, “Look at this, does it show there was any development here? Congress only brings development to Muslim villages.”

Mr. Poswal, like many other BJP supporters are drawing a cue from the speeches made by the party’s leaders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah lead the list of BJP leaders whose speeches repeat how the Gehlot government has failed, over and over again, to protect the interests of the Hindus.