Is tension over conversion in Chhattisgarh an opportunity for BJP?

New Delhi: With the tribal areas of Chhattisgarh reporting repeated incidents of violence against Christian missionaries indulging in conversions, the Bharatiya Janata Party has smelled an opportunity to regain the state it lost in 2018.

With Chhattisgarh scheduled for Legislative Assembly polls later this year, the BJP is expected to demand the implementation of a stringent anti-conversion law in the state to thwart any attempts by the missionaries to change the demography of the tribal-dominated state, sources said.

The party is also planning a state-wide protest and awakening movement to bring this issue to the forefront of the political discourse in Chhattisgarh. The issue of religious conversions will be a focal point for the BJP in the Assembly polls campaign later this year, sources said.

The BJP also feels that through the conversion issue, it would be able to target the Congress strongman and incumbent Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, who is also considered a face of the strong OBC community in the state.

The saffron unit feels that it will be successful in making a comeback in the state Assembly by raising issues related to the tribal community, which constitutes almost 50 per cent of the state’s population. 

The BJP hopes that strong backing in upper caste voters would align with the tribals and ensure a comeback of the party in Chhattisgarh, sources said.  

Over the past few days, the state has been witness to several incidents of violence after alleged conversions were stopped by originations claiming to be working for the preservation of indigenous culture.

Last week, a massive clash was reported from the Narayanpur area where two groups had indulged in violence and another in which a church was allegedly attacked in which top police officers were injured. The state police have made several arrests and have claimed two of those held were BJP leaders fanning the violence.  

However, BJP has distanced itself from any involvement in these cases and has blamed this on an outburst of emotions by the common people of the area.

“If conversions and anti-tribal mindset of missionaries had been curbed, the innocent tribal society of Narayanpur would not have had to come out on the streets. It is the supreme duty of the state government to protect the interests of the tribal society,” a top BJP leader stated.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh affiliate Vishwa Hindu Parishad has already expressed serious concern over the incidents of illegal conversions by Christian missionaries in Chhattisgarh. It has also called for stringent laws against illegal conversions and implemented them strictly to stop such conversions.

With violence reported from various areas of the Bastar region, the recent incidents have caused a stir across the state. The saffron unit is now targeting Congress over the issue of religious conversions. The BJP had also vociferously raised the issue in Chhattisgarh Assembly during the recent winter session.

To make a ground-level assessment and as part of evolving strategy for the forthcoming Assembly polls this year and Lok Sabha elections next year a team of central BJP leaders is also expected to visit the state soon, sources said.

The team is expected to hold extensive talks with party office bearers and community leaders during its visits to gauge the mood of the state ahead of the crucial polls next year.  

With 11 Lok Sabha seats, the party hopes to do well in the 2024 general elections and hopes to retain or even improve on its 2019 tally of 9 seats in the lower house of Parliament.

The BJP had suffered a massive loss in Chhattisgarh in the 2018 Assembly polls securing only 14 out of the 90 seats, while the Congress was able to secure 71 seats.  The saffron unit is desperately trying to reverse the loss and secure power in the mineral-rich state in the 2023 Assembly polls.