Back from dead: Savarkar and Shivaji 'campaign' for BJP

Politics is a world of mazes with planning and plotting. The myriad of strategies forms the complex and basic web of the domain, with the innumerable weapons under the guise of words deployed to sway those who form the crux of democracy: The voters.

The tactics vary from one politician to another, but more often than not, a common thread unifies them. The thread of one singular idea. In India, we have seen different political parties having their respective modi operandi of attacking the Opposition, with each general carrying out the plan to the hilt. And in this battle, sometimes the dead turn up for one side, after being invoked by the party.

In 2019, Veer Savarkar who died 53 years ago, and Chhatrapati Shivaji, who died 339 years ago, have participated in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, courtesy of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Bharat Ratna for Savarkar?
The BJP drummed up the narrative of Veer Savarkar by linking his name with the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award. In their election manifesto, the Maharashtra unit of the BJP said that they would pursue the matter with the Central Government.

Savarkar was a politician, lawyer and formulator of Hindutva philosophy. He joined the Hindu Mahasabha and popularised the term 'Hindutva' in 1923, which has become the fulcrum of political arguments nowadays. Savarkar penned his ideas about Hinduism and propagated the ideas, values and beliefs of 'Hindutva'. Many BJP leaders are influenced by Savarkar and unsurprisingly, his name has surfaced before this year's Maharashtra polls. One of the most famous figures in Maharashtra's political history, Savarkar has transcended the boundaries of the celestial world to start campaigning for the BJP and draw voters to the saffron party.

The Congress was quick to retaliate with spokesperson Manish Tiwari saying that Savarkar was tried (and later acquitted) in the Mahatma Gandhi assassination case. An inquiry commission found that the freedom fighter and some of his colleagues possibly had prior knowledge about the plot. A war of words ensued and Savarkar found himself in the middle of the tug of war.

Can Shivaji be far behind?
Chhatrapati Shivaji is one of the most decorated figures in the history of India. An Indian warrior king and member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan, Shivaji carved out an enclave from the declining Adilshahi Sultanate of Bijapur that formed the genesis of the Maratha Empire. A fighter fondly remembered for battles with the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. He aimed at the formation of a strong Hindu empire, and 339 years later, another party with the same intention invoked the great king's spirit before the elections.

As Shivaji is synonymous with the very soul of Maharashtra, the election campaigns would have been a bit bland without his presence.

First was Shivaji's descendant
Shivendrasinh Raje Bhosale, a descendant of the family of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, switched from the NCP to the BJP and has been given a ticket from Satara. Shivendrasinh's cousin Udayanraje Bhosale is contesting the Satara Lok Sabha bypolls.

And then came Shivaji himself
Shivaji was invoked by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While campaigning for the BJP in Maharashtra, he said that that his government adhered to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's principles of nationalism and national security and possessed the strength to give a befitting reply to those who had "evil designs" on India.

To quote him, "In the last five years, the Centre and the state government have adhered to the values of Shivaji Maharaj. Nationalism and national security are our top priorities. Those having evil designs against the country will be given a befitting reply." According to the prime minister, the Opposition has embarked upon the policy of 'divide and reap benefits', a culture denounced by Shivaji Maharaj.

Even a photo of PM Modi with an idol of Shivaji has spread like wildfire, with the in-charge of the BJP's national Information & Technology Amit Malviya sharing it with the caption 'Iconic Picture'.

Come Oct. 21, the big and small players will face the litmus test in Maharashtra. Whether Savarkar or Shivaji will play a decisive role in the results, only time will tell. For now, they have been briefly brought to life from the pages of history to take part in the madness of Indian politics.