Union Minister Kiren Rijiju's Multiple Visits to Poll-Bound Maharashtra. Here's The BJP Strategy Behind It

The frequent visits of Kiren Rijiju, Union minister for parliamentary affairs and minority affairs, to poll-bound Maharashtra are part of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) strategy.

The Marathi Buddhist community accounts for close to 6-7% votes in the state and is a crucial segment that the BJP would like to bring to its side ahead of the elections. Rijiju is not just a tribal face in the Modi 3.0 government, but is also the only Buddhist face in the Centre. The party wants to use him to garner the support of the Marathi Buddhist population in the western state.

It is learnt that Rijiju has conducted more than hundred meetings across the state, meeting prominent leaders from the community and also holding group meetings with the supporters.

During the recent Lok Sabha elections, the Dalits deserted the BJP, fearing that if they came to power with an overwhelming majority, they would amend the Constitution and take away the rights of the Dalits. A total of 48 such organisations had sent an advisory to people to vote against the BJP-led alliance.

WOOING BUDDHISTS

On Sunday, the Union minister attended the Bodhi Tree Grand Ceremony 2024 at Buddha Smarak, Trirashmi Buddha Cave in Nashik. “The gathering was a celebration of Lord Buddha’s timeless teachings. The Bodhi tree stands as a symbol of hope, reminding us to seek inner peace and to extend compassion to all beings. I offered my prayers to Lord Buddha and paid homage to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar ji. The serene atmosphere of the Buddha Smarak highlighted the importance of peace, compassion and unity in our lives. Lord Buddha’s message continues to guide us toward creating a harmonious society based on love and understanding. Let us all be inspired by his wisdom, working together to foster unity and empathy in our communities,” Rijiju said on X.

Rijiju further said, “The commitment of the government can be gauged from the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking from a platform like the UN, said that India has given the world Buddha and not Yudha (Buddha not war).”

Every Buddhist, in his lifetime, wants to visit the places of interest connected to the birthplace of Lord Buddha in India. Locations such as Sarnath, Bodh Gaya, Lumbini, Kushinagar are of great interest.

The minister also highlighted that making an international airport at Kushinagar and the constant endeavour to develop Sarnath and Bodh Gaya are part of the commitments of the government. He even went on to tell the people that the Maharashtra government has been instrumental in initiating the conversion of Dr Ambedkar’s home in London into a museum.

WOOING DALITS

Apart from this, the Union minister has also been frequently visiting various places in Maharashtra associated with Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, including his residence in Sambhajinagar.

Attacking the opposition, especially the Congress, which has been highlighting the Constitution, Rijiju cautioned the people of Maharashtra not to fall prey to their plan. “People who humiliated Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, demolished basic structure of Indian Constitution and imposed Emergency should not talk about Constitution and Babasaheb,” Rijiju said recently during his visit to the Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur.

The Union minister has also highlighted the welfare of various communities, especially the Dalits, by the Centre by recently giving the classical language status to Marathi, which has been a long-pending demand, and also to Pali, which is sacred for Buddhists. It was in Pali that Buddha delivered his sermons.

During his visit to the state on October 5, a group of members from the Bhikkhu Sangha met congratulated PM Modi for making a Pali a classical language. As a mark of appreciation, they even recited a few verses in Pali.

In fact, during his recent visit to Laos, the Prime Minister met Buddhist monks and received blessings from them.