‘Padmaavat’ no issue
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
Chittorgarh, December 5
What seemed like a tsunami of caste anger this January has long subsided with the Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat no issue in Rajasthan.
Chittorgarh locals have moved to fundamental questions of home and hearth with Rajput candidates — sitting MLA Chandra Bhan Singh of the BJP and Surendra Singh Jadawat of the Congress — discussing only development.
Local residents have sore memories of January that saw the state’s Rajput Karni Sena vandalise parts of Rani Padmini’s majestic palace inside the historic Chittorgarh Fort.
Such was the level of arson that the Archeological Survey of India had to close it down for a fortnight. The fort reopened on April 18.
Karni Sena activists had broken mirrors installed in Rani Padmini’s Palace because they believed the original palace never had mirrors. Bhansali’s film showed Raja Ratan Singh of Chittorgarh allowing Allauddin Khilji to see Rani Padmini’s reflection in the mirror. There is no historical proof that Rani’s reflection was ever mirrored.
Locals maintain that Bhansali distorted their history to sell his film, but say they are not angry with the BJP over the issue anymore. “The issue is over, except that we have to deal with tourists who now visit the fort more because they have seen the Bhansali film and less because they value the history of this place,” rues Sukhwal.
The big push
PM Modi: 6 days and 12 public meetings & rallies
Amit Shah: 16 days, 20 meetings & 4 roadshows
Rahul Gandhi: 19 public meetings & 2 roadshows
key factors
Caste pride: The BJP dwelled on Congress leader CP Joshi’s ‘anti-OBC’ remarks while the Rajputs rallied against the BJP over the death of gangster Anandpal Singh, a Ravana Rajput. Upper castes unhappy with the BJP over dilution of SC order on law preventing atrocities on SCs and STs
Farm distress, anxiety among minorities over cow vigilantism and Dalits over dilution of laws protecting them
Anti-incumbency against CM, no CM face in Cong
