In the rapidly changing political race for 2019, indications are that the forces of Hindutva may have begun to shuffle leadership cards. Gordhan Zadaphia has been appointed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as poll in-charge of Uttar Pradesh and Nitin Gadkari is being packaged as the ‘liberal’ face of Hindutva.
Zadaphia, was Minister of State for Home in Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s government during the 2002 riots in Gujarat. A right-hand man of Pravin Togadia, the then chief of the Vishwa Hiindu Parishad (VHP), his appointment was to acknowledge VHP support for Modi as chief minister.
There were widespread
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