PATNA: State BJP headquarters wore a festive look on Tuesday afternoon, as the party’s state chief Samrat Choudhary flagged off Luv-Kush rath yatra with a glittering saffron flag in the presence of the party’s senior functionaries. The rath is to reach Ayodhya on January 22, the day PM Narendra Modi will perform the ceremonial ‘pran pratishtha (consecration)’ rituals for the idol of Ram Lalla.
The Luv-Kush rath is a saffron coloured high-tech deluxe coach having, among other things, two AC rooms and a bathroom. The body of the deluxe coach has images of Lord Ram in the make of a warrior God on its sides. The slogan embossed on the body said, “sabke siya, sabke Ram”, where ‘siya’ means ‘maalik’ and Ram stands for ‘bhagwan (god)’.
While the saffron clothed BJP workers thronged the inside and outside of the party’s office, a tableau presented children in the looks of Ram, Sita and Hanuman. Beside that, a group of transgenders in saffron clothes danced and sang songs in eulogy of PM Modi for the construction of the magnificent Ram Temple and performing the consecration ceremony.
Other than that, what attracted the attention of the concerned was the naming of the rath after Luv-Kush. In the caste groups of the state, Luv is a synonym for Kurmi and Kush for Koeri/Kushwaha. Both belong to the OBC category, the group that the BJP has been trying hard to bring in its political fold, as a build-up to the parliamentary elections this year and state assembly elections in 2025.
“There is a tremendous surge of attraction for Ram Temple at Ayodhya. The people of Luv-Kush samaj also have the same feeling. Senior BJP functionary J P Verma from among them is the leader of the rath yatra,” the state BJP chief said, adding that those in the rath yatra will appeal to people of all sections to visit Ayodhya.
Choudhary said it was not the BJP show, but the saffron party workers are “supporting the rath yatra organised by the Luv-Kush samaj”.
While the rath will pass through all the 38 districts of the state, the party has mentioned around a dozen of districts which have a significant electoral presence of the Luv-Kush castes. The districts and places mentioned are Patna, Hajipur (Vaishali), Chhapra (Saran), Siwan, Gopalganj, Bettiah and Valmikinagar (West Champaran), Motihari (East Champaran), Sheohar, Arwal, Sasaram and Buxar.
In between, the rath will also touch Punaura Dham in Sitamarhi, that is associated with Janaki (Sita, consort of Ram), as also Vishwamitra Ashram in Buxar district. The state BJP chief even called Bihar the land of Janaki.
Clearly, over the next 20 days, the Bihar BJP has embarked on mass and caste mobilisation through the symbolism of ‘sabke siya, sabke Ram’ rath yatra that coincides with the consecration of Ram Lalla idol as climax, observers felt.
The Luv-Kush rath is a saffron coloured high-tech deluxe coach having, among other things, two AC rooms and a bathroom. The body of the deluxe coach has images of Lord Ram in the make of a warrior God on its sides. The slogan embossed on the body said, “sabke siya, sabke Ram”, where ‘siya’ means ‘maalik’ and Ram stands for ‘bhagwan (god)’.
While the saffron clothed BJP workers thronged the inside and outside of the party’s office, a tableau presented children in the looks of Ram, Sita and Hanuman. Beside that, a group of transgenders in saffron clothes danced and sang songs in eulogy of PM Modi for the construction of the magnificent Ram Temple and performing the consecration ceremony.
Other than that, what attracted the attention of the concerned was the naming of the rath after Luv-Kush. In the caste groups of the state, Luv is a synonym for Kurmi and Kush for Koeri/Kushwaha. Both belong to the OBC category, the group that the BJP has been trying hard to bring in its political fold, as a build-up to the parliamentary elections this year and state assembly elections in 2025.
“There is a tremendous surge of attraction for Ram Temple at Ayodhya. The people of Luv-Kush samaj also have the same feeling. Senior BJP functionary J P Verma from among them is the leader of the rath yatra,” the state BJP chief said, adding that those in the rath yatra will appeal to people of all sections to visit Ayodhya.
Choudhary said it was not the BJP show, but the saffron party workers are “supporting the rath yatra organised by the Luv-Kush samaj”.
While the rath will pass through all the 38 districts of the state, the party has mentioned around a dozen of districts which have a significant electoral presence of the Luv-Kush castes. The districts and places mentioned are Patna, Hajipur (Vaishali), Chhapra (Saran), Siwan, Gopalganj, Bettiah and Valmikinagar (West Champaran), Motihari (East Champaran), Sheohar, Arwal, Sasaram and Buxar.
In between, the rath will also touch Punaura Dham in Sitamarhi, that is associated with Janaki (Sita, consort of Ram), as also Vishwamitra Ashram in Buxar district. The state BJP chief even called Bihar the land of Janaki.
Clearly, over the next 20 days, the Bihar BJP has embarked on mass and caste mobilisation through the symbolism of ‘sabke siya, sabke Ram’ rath yatra that coincides with the consecration of Ram Lalla idol as climax, observers felt.