Eye On Polls, Congress To Highlight Plight Of Holy Narmada In Madhya Pradesh

In what is being seen as a bid to take some of the sheen off the BJP's Hindutva credentials ahead of the assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, the Congress is planning to launch a massive campaign to conserve the sacred Narmada river.

Putting a spotlight on the ruling BJP's alleged failure to conserve the river, which is considered holy by Hindus and is associated with Lord Shiva, the Congress will also conduct regular Narmada aarti (prayer ceremony) and clean the ghats (steps leading down to the river) along the riverbank. 

Under the Narmada Seva Sena banner,  the party will form a large number of local committees across the river's 1,077 km stretch in Madhya Pradesh,  between its point of origin in Anuppur district's Amarkantak and exit points in the Barwani and Alirajpur districts.

With the help of experts, the Sena will test the river water's quality in different stretches and identify the places where the water is unfit for bathing and drinking. 

Various points where sewage and industrial waste flow into the river will also be identified and the Congress will then put pressure on the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government to put an end to the practice. A Congress leader said the party will take up the issue of rampant sand mining, adding that these factors are putting the river and its aquatic wealth at grave risk. 

With less than four months to go for the assembly polls, the opposition party is also planning readings from the Ramayana, Bhagwad Gita and Shiv Purana in all 52 districts and 230 assembly constituencies of the state. 

Asked about BJP allegations of "soft Hindutva," former Madhya Pradesh law minister PC Sharma had told NDTV last month,  "The BJP separate Lord Rama from Sitaji, we say Jai Siyaram, they say Jai Shriram... they do politics of religion, we do politics by following religion, be it Lord Krishna, Lord Rama. They are gods of justice... What has happened in Himachal, Karnataka - God will do the same justice in Madhya Pradesh".

The BJP had termed the Congress events a "hoax", but also claimed victory. "Those who used to be seen on the posters of Qawwali and Urs, are seen in Bhagwat today. This is the change that has come. This is the victory of our thought," party leader Rajpal Sisodia had said.